HomeMy Public PortalAbout2010_tcwsmin0726Council Strategic Planning Session ]uly 26, 2010
Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Umstattd presiding.
Council Members Present: David S. Butler, Thomas S. Dunn, II, Katie Sheldon
Hammier Marty Martinez, Kenneth "Ken" Reid, Vice Mayor 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, and Clerk of Council Lee Ann Green
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Strategic Planning Discussion:
Mr. Wells discussed the purpose of the Strategic Planning Discussion. He
reviewed current and completed projects. He stated each council member identified
three initiatives of most interest to them. They included:
• Create a "County Liaison" function on Council [o focus on town/county
cooperation
• Work to establish funding for design and construction of Rt. 7 West Climbing
Lane
• Expand the current effort of the Community Enhancement Team (CET) to be
proactive in all neighborhoods
• Maintain long term taxpayer affordability given concerns over sluggish
economy and backlog of deferred expenses
• Kick-off "King Street" Project
• Complete Sycolin Overpass through federal grants (move on to other
projects that can be done if overpass money is not likely)
• Create a youth advisory board to make recommendations to Council with
goal of reducing police expenditures, promote community building, improve
quality of life
• Get a firm idea of which contracts will be brought to Council during budget
discussions to discuss merits before contract award
• Explore options to address environmental/legal issues surrounding
stormwater management
• Have at least one work session discussion on ordinances, rezoning, special
exceptions, and DCSM changes before they are advertised for Council
hearings
• Expand the Availability Fee Payment Plan to five years (currently 2 years)
• Establish long term budget sustainability given new economic reality
• Re-kick off Annexation Process and include a financial analysis for bringing in
residential out of [own water users
• Offer citizens of Leesburg WIFI throughout town via public/private
partnership (have Tech. Comm. And IT staff draft EFP by October 2010)
• Create a "think outside the big boz partnership" that would leverage public
funds with private commitment to accomplish beau[ifcation of the Edwards
Ferry/15 bypass/Plaza Street Corridor and begin a Bike Community Program
to make Leesburg bike friendly
• Promote the re-development of [he Barber and Ross site considering
incentives if necessary
Town Council Strateoic Planning Session of Julv 26 2010 Page 2
• Foster more off-line communication with Council members and have regional
meetings of the Council in the Community
Amend the Sign Ordinance to allow all "in-building" signs
Have an annual dialog with the Board of Supervisors before we discuss our
legislative agendas and try to mesh their agenda with ours and establish an
annual BOS Legislative agenda
Resolve the Water Rate situation from two perspectives: out of towners and
corrections to the current rate structure
• Set up Goals and Objectives for Boards and Commissions through targeted
Council meetings based on Board and Commission input
Mr. Wells stated there is consensus for 1) expanding the Community
Enhancement Team to be proactive in all neighborhoods, 2) expand the availability
fee payment program to five years from two years, 3) re-develop the Barber and
Ross site using incentives if necessary, 4) annual meeting with the Board of
Supervisors and mesh legislative agendas and establish an annual Board of
Supervisors legislative agenda, S) resolve the water rate situation from two
perpectives (out of towners and corrections to the rate structure), and 6) set up
goals and objectives for Boards and Commissions through targeted Council meetings
based on Board and Commission input.
Council member consensus was to move #B to the FY2011 initiatives already in
progress.
Expand the current effort of the Community Enhancement Team
(CET) to be proactive in all neighborhoods
Council Member Hammler questioned the mission of the Community
Enhancement Team.
Mr. Wells explained the team is amulti-departmental group that works with the
neighborhood to address the neighborhood's concerns and resolve them. He stated
in the future, the staff would like to meet with the leadership of different
neighborhoods proactively to address issues before they become problems.
Council Member Hammler suggested that a Council member could be part of the
CET as well as reestablishing the Community Watch program. She also suggested
devoting a portion of work session meetings to individual HOA concerns.
Amend the Sign Ordinance to allow all "in-building" signs
Vice Mayor Wright stated the item "Amending the sign ordinance to allow "in-
building" signs" would be discussed at the public hearing on Tuesday night.
This item was moved to the Council consensus list.
Kick-off "King Street" Project
Mayor Umstattd questioned the "King Street" project.
Mr. Wells stated this is part of the Downtown Improvements project and may be
similar to the sign ordinance issue as it will be talked about in upcoming meetings.
Town Council Strategic Plannino Session of July 26 2010 Paoe 3
Complete Sycolin Overpass through federal grants (move on to other
projects that can be done if overpass money is not likely)
There was discussion regarding the Sycolin Road Flyover. Council Member Reid
questioned why the documents were not ready in time for the TIGER II grant
application.
Mr. Dentler stated the design for the flyover needs to be finalized before a grant
application can be completed.
Mayor Umstattd stated her understanding is that if you apply for a TIGER II
grant and receive the grant, the locality would have to provide a 20% local match
but none of those funds can be federal dollars from any other source.
Mr. Wells confirmed this.
Mayor Umstattd questioned what the best strategy might be for the town.
Mr. Wells stated the TIGER program does not seem [o be geared for Loudoun
County or Leesburg.
Council Member Reid stated he heard at a transportation conference that 90% of
the TIGER I grant projects were mass transit related. He stated he thought that
TIGER had to be regional projects.
Mr. Wells stated that TIGER II has an opportunity for stand-alone projects, but
most of the projects will be more regional in nature, like mass transit.
Council Member Reid stated that NVRC will front the application by Prince
William County to get TIGER II money for ferry service from Woodbridge up the
Potomac to downtown Washington, DC. He stated that ferry service is making a
comeback in Boston, New York and other highly congested areas.
Mr. Wells suggested the Council discuss the potential for regional transportation
projects with the Board of Supervisors at their meeting in September.
Vice Mayor Wright summarized that the intent is to keep seeking federal and
state funding for the Sycolin Road Flyover, but not take funds from other projects.
There was consensus for this as long as Leesburg taz dollars are minimized.
Council Member Martinez stated he would like to see the change in traffic
patterns once Battlefield Parkway is completed from Route 15 through to Edwards
Ferry. He stated that Battlefield Parkway may become the next traffc problem.
Council Member Hammier stated one of the big things that came out of the joint
towns meeting was that Leesburg must leverage private sector funds with respect to
the downtown revitalization.
Work to establish funding for design and construction of Rt. 7 West
Climbing Lane
Town Council Strategic Planning Session of ]ulv 26 2010 Paae 4
Council Member Dunn stated he moved the climbing lane to discussion because
it looks like this project is at least five years out and there are some questions on
certain access points. He stated it does not seem tike as high a priority for the
coming year as for years further out.
Council Member Reid suggested discussing a PPTA with the Board of Supervisors
to build reversible express toll lanes in the median which would create a steady
revenue stream and make it possible for buses and HOV lanes as an alternative, out-
of-the-box way to get more capacity on Route 7. He stated the Board of Supervisors
would need to take leadership, but they seem to be focused on a climbing lane. He
noted it may be able to be built quicker by a PPTA than by VDOT.
Mr. Wells stated this can be put on the list of topics for discussion with the BOS.
Council Member Martinez stated there needs to be a separate conversation on
transportation and how to fix certain choke points.
Mayor Umstattd stated she is no[ supportive of tolls on Route 7. She stated
there is a public furor every time the Greenway proposes a toll increase. She stated
it will become completely unaffordable to move around the region and there may be
no private companies willing to undertake such a project considering the difficulty
the Greenway has had making a return on investment.
Council Member Reid stated it would not be a toll per se, but a motorist could
chose a toll lane for an express ride, or a free lane.
Vice Mayor Wright stated he agreed with Council Member Dunn that this project
will not be able to be completed this year because of all the issues associated with
access and without consensus of Council, the project may not be ready to move
forward.
There was discussion as to whether there is a consensus of Council to put this
on the Strategic Plan for this fiscal year since it will not be something that can be
completed this year. Additional discussion regarding a transportation summit
ensued. There was consensus for a transportation summit involving entities from
the region.
Have at least one work session discussion on ordinances, rezoning,
special exceptions, and DCSM changes before they are advertised for
Council hearings
There was discussion regarding having a work session item on things coming up
for public hearing. Mayor Umstattd noted that the elimination of the pre-public
hearing work session discussion was because Council did not want to sit through the
presentation twice.
Council Member Reid suggested it come to Council after the Planning
Commission review, but before public hearing, if it is a major code change.
There was discussion regarding the need for, timing of and method of Council
review.
Town Council Strategic Plannino Session of Julv 26 2010 Paoe 5
Mr. Wells suggested a case by case basis at the initiation stage since some items
may need more Council direction than others.
Re-kick off Annexation Process and include a financial analysis for
bringing in residential out of town water users
There was discussion regarding annexation of water service areas. Council
Member Butler asked for acost/benefit analysis for both the residents and the town.
He noted it might be a financial win/win situation for both parties.
Council Member Hammier stated this goes to the discussion of seeking city
status. She stated that would change the equation for everyone financially if the
analysis points to this being cost effective.
There was a discussion regarding the process for annexation and boundary line
adjustment. Council Member Wright questioned whether the town is ready to
consider adding the water service area to the annexation discussion.
Council Member Martinez stated that annexation of those areas might
necessitate adding Council Members or dividing the town into districts.
Council Member Reid supported a financial analysis. He stated if the facts show
the water service area users would be better off financially within the town limits, it
would be worthwhile.
Mayor Umstattd urged caution because of the price tag associated with a full
cost analysis.
Vice Mayor Wright stated it needs to be made clear that any annexation
discussion would not be completely driven by the water rate issue.
Council Member Dunn stated he would like to see a discussion geared towards
what the town should have been doing for years, which is seeking more customers
for the utility department. He stated if it means annexation, then that should be a
consideration.
Council Member Butler stated this should be a discussion of annexation based on
bringing current customers into town based on a financial win/win for everyone
involved. He stated that is not a bad idea, but it is a different discussion.
Council Member Reid questioned whether this discussion should be limited to
just Potomac Station since the HOA is split into two sections.
It was consensus of Council to direct staff to gather the facts so that Council can
decide how to move forward.
Maintain long term taxpayer affordability given concerns over
sluggish economy and backlog of deferred expenses
Mayor Umstattd stated that Council would benefit from having a better sense of
the town's longer term obligations rather than just working on the budget for the
next year.
Town Council Strateoic Planning Session of July 26 2010 Paoe 6
Vice Mayor Wrigh[ stated the last few budgets have been developed with the
expectation that the economy would not rocket back up quickly, so there is a lot of
things Council has deferred doing because of revenue predictions. He stated the
nett couple of years the budget process needs to include a complete understanding
of what has been deferred and how to deal with it.
Council Member Dunn stated he would not move this forward as a Council
initiative because he feels it is already being done by staff.
Council Member stated it might be helpful to know what trends may affect
decisions going into the next budget cycle.
A biennial budget process was discussed.
• Offer citizens of Leesburg WIFI throughout town via public/private
partnership (have Tech. Comm. And IT stall draft EFP by October
2010)
There was discussion about offering Wi-Fi to town residents.
Council Member Butler suggested a rewording to the effect of getting wi-f to the
highest number of users, particularly those who might not be able to afford it.
There was discussion over what this would entail and who it would serve.
Council Member Martinez stated this would not be a free service.
There was a consensus to discuss this as part of the Boards and Commissions
objectives discussion. Council Member Reid said this has been discussed before by
two Town commissions and it has gone nowhere.
• Get a firm idea of which contracts will be brought to Council during
budget discussions to discuss merits before contract award
With regards to bringing contracts before Council for budget and merit
discussions before approval, Mr, Wells suggested a supplemental sheet that would be
part of the budget discussion that would identify by department which contracts or
services would come before Council by either ]FP or RFP at a later point in the year.
Mayor Umstattd stated she likes the idea of Council knowing what contracts are
going out to bid.
Council Member Butler questioned the intent of this. He stated the signing
authority for contracts was increased three years ago.
Council Member Dunn expressed his feeling that there is no point to this with
this Council.
Mr. Wells stated his interpretation of this is to include in the proposed budget a
schedule of contract awards during the fiscal year so that Council would be aware of
when contract awards would be made.
Town Council Strateoic Planning Session of July 26 2010 Paae 7
Council Member Martinez noted that the money is allocated during the budget
process.
Mr. Wells stated this would be an opportunity to focus on the contract before the
contract goes out to bid.
• Foster more off-line communication with Council members and have
regional meetings of the Council in the Community
Council Member Butler expressed concern with the idea of off-line conversation.
Mayor Umstattd stated the term off-line can easily be interpreted as doing
business outside the public eye and Council does not want to do that.
Council Member Reid stated the Coffee with Council did not get a lot of
attention.
Council Member Dunn stated unless Council intends to have formal, regional
meetings, he would not support [his at this time.
Council Member Reid stated he felt blindsided by some information that
appeared in the newspaper. He stated all Council members need to be kept in the
loop, but some know what is going on ahead of time. He stated it would be nice if
there was better communication to avoid surprises. He stated his support for all
communication being public communication.
Vice Mayor Wright stated this could be done without being stated as an official
Council goal because it is incumbent on Council members as individuals to improve
their communication. He noted individual Council members have been sending
updates about things that have occurred at their liaison meetings.
Council Member Hammler pointed out that trust is built by communication.
Council Member Reid suggested having work sessions at other locations.
Mayor Umstattd stated it is good to have work sessions in the Council Chambers
because it is predictable for the public.
Mr. Wells conf rmed this is an improvement goal for all.
• Create a youth advisory board to make recommendations to Council
with goal of reducing police expenditures, promote community
building, improve quality of life
Mayor Umstattd stated this is a good goal, but would be duplicating what the
County has created with their Youth Advisory Board.
Council Member Martinez agreed, but noted it would be good to have a Town
representative on the county's Youth Advisory Board.
Council Member Hammler stated she was specifically thinking about a teen
center because the Police Department and Sheriff's Office have mentioned that
statistically 60-70% of all police calls are specifically due to teens and young adults.
Town Council Strategic Planning Session of ]ulv 26 2010 Paoe 8
She noted that reducing the number of police calls due to teen issues could reduce
personnel costs for the Police Department. She questioned how all the different
groups of teens can be brought together in a really positive way, also possibly
bringing them downtown to help the downtown.
Council Member Butler agreed with this and noted that while there are a lot of
duplicate town and county boards, whether the county's Youth Advisory Board would
serve the town would depend on its project completion record.
Vice Mayor Wright stated he likes this idea and the intent behind the idea, but
his two issues are 1) overlapping services and 2) there is a teen center at Rust
Library. He stated he wants to make sure the town is not competing with someone
where the town should be partnering with someone. He observed there is a lot of
value of having youth downtown, but there are some businesses downtown that do
not want youth downtown. He stated he could support this, but wants to work with
the county board.
Council Member Dunn agreed that the town should work with existing county
groups, because the town needs to push for more family friendly businesses in the
currently empty retail spaces.
Mayor Umstattd noted that the teen center at Rust Library is very popular and
so is the skate park. She stated a reminder of how many efforts to address teen
needs in town is needed.
Mr. Wells stated that staff could work with county staff to develop an inventory
of youth services. He stated it might be helpful to have whoever heads up the youth
services a[ the county come to a Council meeting for a question and answer.
Council Member Hammler noted that the library's teen center appeals to a
certain type of teen and midnight basketball appeals to another type of teen. She
suggested developing a place or event to bring the different types of teens together
in a positive manner.
Create a "County Liaison" function on Council to focus on
town/county cooperation
Have an annual dialog with the Board of Supervisors before we
discuss our legislative agendas and try to mesh their agenda with
ours and establish an annual BOS Legislative agenda
Council Member Hammler states she feels the town is making great progress on
things like identifying overlapping services.
Council Member Reid stated it would be nice if Supervisors or their staff who
represent Leesburg residents came to the Council meetings. He stated staff could go
to County committee meetings.
Mr, Wells stated that staff does not regularly attend committee meetings, but
monitors the agendas and attends if a particular topic concerns the town.
Town Council Strateoic Planning Session of July 26 2010 Pace 9
Vice Mayor Wright the item regarding a BOS Legislative agenda should address
this.
Council Member Dunn stated he would not support having a single Council
member address all the town's issues with the county.
Mr. Wells stated staff could prepare a 805 specific legislative agenda.
Council Member Martinez stated Council needs to push its agenda with the
Leesburg area supervisors.
Council Member Reid questioned whether the town and county have ever
discussed meshing the legislative agendas together.
Mayor Umstattd stated it has been done in the past.
Vice Mayor Wright encouraged working with the county on the legislative
agenda.
Explore options to address environmental/legal issues surrounding
stormwater management
Mr. Wells stated this is already being done.
Create a "think outside the big box partnership" that would leverage
public funds with private commitment to accomplish beautification of
the Edwards Ferry/15 bypass/Plaza Street Corridor and begin a Bike
Community Program to make Leesburg bike friendly
Council Member Hammler stated the town will not be able to afford creating
capital-intensive bridges, but it is imperative to find an innovative approach to create
a high quality of life and allow bikes to move on every single street in the town. She
stated the town needs to be innovative to ensure 100% bike access. She questioned
if there is a way to reach out to major partners, such as Costco, Walmart, etc. to
rent bicycles for visitors to ride around town. She stated the other part of this is to
make the Edwards Ferry Road/Bypass area more attractive.
Vice Mayor Wright questioned whether the Community Enhancement Team
would be most appropriate to work with the property owners since there is very little
public land in that area.
Council Member Dunn questioned whether staff could show Council where bike
lanes could be added to existing roadways while still meeting minimum state
standards. He stated there are many roads in town that are too narrow.
Council Member Martinez stated the Parks and Recreation Commission could
discuss appropriate ways to increase bike connectivity.
Council Member Hammler stressed affordability for the town.
Council Member Reid stated he moved to Leesburg because it is bike friendly
He stated he bikes around town and finds that despite the narrowness of the streets,
drivers are courteous and biking is safe. What makes it difficult for residents to bike
Town Council Strategic Planning Session of Julv 26 2010 Paqe 10
are hills and excessive heat and cold he said Because of the weather biklng is at
best oooular iust six months out of the vear.
Mr. Wells stated that this could be moved to the list of items that need
background information.
Vice Mayor Wright stated there are a couple of forums that can look at [his such
as the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission which reviews
the Town Plan.
2. Items for Future Council Meetings
Council Member Reid asked for the following:
a. Follow-up on why the town was denied the annual appropriation for the
Sycolin Road Flyover. He asked whether the widening can be done on the widening
of Sycolin Road in the vicinity of Tavistock.
Council Member Dunn asked for the following:
a. What constitutes a committee versus a commission?
3. Closed Session
On a motion by Mayor Umstattd, seconded by Vice Mayor Wright, the following
was proposed:
MOTION
Pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) (7) of the Code of Virginia, I move that the
Leesburg Town Council convene in a closed meeting for the purpose of legal
advice pertaining to: a) Business Incubator, and b) Leesburg Community
Church.
The motion was approved by the following vote:
Aye: Butler, Dunn, Hammler, Martinez, Reid, Wright and Mayor
Umstattd
Nay: None
Vote: 7-0-1
The Council convened in closed session at 10:14 p.m.
The Council reconvened in open session at 11:24 p.m..
On a motion by Mayor Umstattd, seconded by Vice Mayor Wright, the
following 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 identiFled 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 vote:
Aye: Butler, Hammler, Martinez, Reid, Wright and Mayor
Umstattd
Town Council Strategic Planning Session of Julv 26 2010 Paoe 11
Nay: None
Vote: 6-0-1 (Dunn absent)
4. Adjournment
On a motion by Council Member Martinez, seconded by Council Member Butler,
the meeting was adjourned at 11:25 p.m.
Clerk of o n 11
2010_tcwsminOR6