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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