HomeMy Public PortalAbout2015_tcwsmin0209 Council Work Session February 9, 2015
Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Kristen C. Umstattd
presiding.
Council Members Present: Kelly Burk, David Butler, Thomas Dunn, Suzanne D.
Fox, Katie Sheldon Hammler, Marty Martinez and Mayor Umstattd.
Council Members Absent: All present
Staff Present: Town Manager Kaj Dentler, Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel,
Assistant Town Manager Scott Parker, and Executive Associate I Tara Belote.
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Work Session Items for Discussion
a. Diversity Commission
Kaj Dentler stated the Diversity Task Force has requested the
formation of a commission on diversity.
Key Points:
• Duties would include fostering diversity and inclusion within the town
government work force by looking for ways to cast a wider net for
applicants.
• A potential commission could help the town communicate and perform
outreach to the community.
• Coordinate outreach through the Economic Development Commission
to help minority business owners get started.
• Help identify cultural events that could be celebrated.
• The commission would be an advisory commission.
• Would not have review of personnel issues.
Council Comments/Questions:
• Task force understood that personnel issues would not be reviewed.
• Some of the recommended activities could open the town up to
increased liability.
• Need more discussion before moving forward.
• What are the costs in terms of staffing?
Staff answer: Keith Markel, Deputy Town Manager would be liaison
to the Commission.
• VML Insurance provides some benefits.
• Council will need to be prepared to address policy issues that are
brought up by the commission in terms of parity.
• Would not want personnel issues to be discussed at the commission
level.
• Would like duties to be clearly laid out.
• In no way should a commission or Council be involved in human
resources decisions or issues.
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Council Work Session February 9, 2015
• Why has this issue never been raised before? If the town has been
derelict, Council needs to know why and how.
• Reputation in the past of not being open to the minority community.
• Need to make sure that this commission, if created, knows their
mission and limitations.
• Would suggest starting out as a committee.
• Would like to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities for
employment with the town.
• Next step is initiation of an amendment to the Town Code.
• Are duties and make up of the commission discussed at the initiation?
Staff answer: This starts the process and the duties and make up can be
discussed at the public hearing. Staff would recommend that make up is
chosen similarly to other existing commissions.
There was support for an initiation resolution at Tuesday night's
meeting.
b. Comprehensive Parking Follow-up
Scott Parker stated that a public input session was held to focus on
several issues with respect to parking.
Key Points:
• Questions posed at the public input session were whether the town
should continue to charge for parking in the town garage and whether
the town should keep the parking meters on the street.
• Approximately 20 members of the public, not including council
members, attended the session and provided feedback.
• Turnover of spaces was identified as being most important.
• Staff recommends the following:
o Continue to charge for parking in the Town garage.
o 1st hour free in the garage (2nd hour free with parking validation
program)
o $1.00 for each hour in garage up to $5.00 Maximum
o Keep the unassigned parking space rates ($40 per month) and
the assigned parking space rates ($60.00 per month) the same
o Do not charge for nights and weekends.
o Do not automate the garage at this time, particularly if nights
and weekends remain free. The option should be kept open for
future discussions, however, as it relates to larger comprehensive
parking initiatives.
o Leave the meters on the street, and rehab the casings and poles
to match the street furnishings and new street lights of the
downtown (black).
o Charge for the 14 meters that are currently bagged on Harrison
Street.
o Charge for the 11 meters currently at Liberty Street.
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Council Work Session February 9, 2015
o Re-install the meters on Loudoun Street that were removed
during downtown construction.
o Change all meters in Town to a two-hour time limit EXCEPT:
The two meters in front of the Downtown Post Office on Market
Street. They are currently 15 minutes and no change is
proposed.
• Raise the meter rates to $0.50 a half hour from the current$0.25
a half hour to bring them in line with the rates of the garage and
to encourage turnover of parked vehicles in the downtown area.
Council Comments/Questions
• Concern that the meters are so affordable that it allows people to stay in
one spot all day.
• Harrison Street meters are under-utilized.
Staff answer: They have been under-utilized and the argument could be
made for removal of those meters. Decision needs to be made to either
re-start charging for those spaces or remove the meters. Historically,
the parking enforcement staff reports them to be under-utilized.
• The town does not charge for the 11 meters in the small lot just north of
Liberty Street.
Staff answer: Those spaces are considered more "prime" due to their
proximity to Royal Street and the downtown. If Council determines
that those are part of the Liberty Street lot, they should be removed.
Those particular meters have a six-hour time limit, but could be
changed to two-hour time limits to encourage turnover.
• The current daily maximum of$5 for parking in the garage could be
limited for day-time parking. Other localities charge considerably
more.
• Agree with keeping the meters to encourage turnover and find some
way to enforce the two hour time limit.
• Agree with increasing the charges for the parking garage.
• As was reported in the 2004 Desmond Parking Study, incentives for
long term parkers to use less convenient parking options need to be
instituted.
• There is a parking capacity issue—the number of required spaces for
uses versus the available spaces.
• Possibly reach out to the county to allow the public to use some of the
spaces in their garage.
• Opportunity to use buses to shuttle daily parkers from satellite lots.
• Could research the use of church lots for employee parking.
• If another garage will be needed in the long term, start thinking about
what type of creative partnerships can be formed to pay for it.
• Need to look at parking as a comprehensive picture—not little pieces at
a time.
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Council Work Session February 9, 2015
• Mr. Burnett's capacity report is not correct— space sharing was not
taken into account.
• Why was the recommendation made to not automate the garage at this
time?
Staff answer: If the policy is not to charge for nights and weekends,
that would be the biggest beneficiary of an automated system.
• Recommendation against automation should have included a fiscal
analysis of whether it makes sense.
• Increasing the rates in the garage will not impact turnover because the
garage is never full.
• Charging more for the garage and keeping the antiquated equipment
will discourage people from parking in the garage. It will not
encourage people to park in the garage over the meters.
• If we continue to charge for the garage, the meters should be at least
twice as expensive to encourage people to park in the garage.
• Staff report does not talk about finding additional parking spaces on the
street, if there are parking spaces that need to be removed, or the cost of
an additional parking facility.
• Do not want to have a parking task force.
• Still in favor of kiosks and police officers, not finance staff, writing
tickets downtown.
• Street parking is the premium parking and should cost more than the
parking garage.
• The town should not get involved in private parking agreements
between landowners and businesses.
• What would be the income if fees, except those for permits, were
doubled?
Staff answer: We can get that information for Council.
• Discussed with the Chairman of the County Board about the county
freeing up space for visitors. He does not think this would work.
• These small steps would increase revenue for the town and may
alleviate some of the issues.
• What is the possibility of stairs on the east side of the Liberty lot?
• If higher costs result in more turnover, then the perception that there is
not enough parking will be alleviated.
• Parking garage staff add to customer service for visitors to town.
There was consensus to initiate a Town Code amendment to increase
parking fees in the garage to $1 per hour and pay for the amount of time spent
in the garage (first hour free) and $1.50 per hour at the meters as well as
removal of the parking validation program. Meters on Harrison and the
Liberty Street lot will be returned to service.
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Council Work Session February 9, 2015
2. Additions to Future Council Meetings
Council Member Hammier requested providing visitor information for the
parking attendant. She asked for the possibility of increasing fines for parking
violations at meters. She asked for initiation of the task force so that people can see
that the Council is looking at parking in a comprehensive manner. She asked for
initiation of the Joint Land Management Area planning with the County. She also
asked for Certificates for the Flag Football champions.
For upcoming meetings, she asked for the following information
memorandums:
a. Information regarding what Loudoun County is doing to negotiate parking
space at private sector sites, such as Telos. Would like input on that
possibility for the town as well as information on the use of the county
transit bus.
b. Information on whether the Tech Comm can remove cable from their list
of duties.
c. Information on what would be involved in making the Standing
Residential Traffic Committee to a commission.
d. Information on what would be needed to increase the street light wattage
from 400 to 1000 all over town.
e. Information on the final destination of recycled paper from Leesburg.
Paper sent to other countries could create identity theft issues.
f. Information on environmental benefits of a water feature off the Town
Garage/Mervin Jackson Park.
Vice Mayor Burk stated that the Friends of Leesburg Public Art are applying
for a grant from the state and would like a letter from the Council stating support for
their efforts. She stated she would provide a draft and there was consensus to put it
on Tuesday's agenda for action.
Council Member Fox stated the Airport Commission would like to know if
there was any support from Council for financial assistance for the Airshow. Council
Member Hammier asked for information on County contribution.
Council Member Butler stated that at the current time, Paragon is planning the
Downtown Arts show the same day as the Airshow. Staff noted that the audiences
for the two events are different and parking for both events is at different areas of
town. He asked for an information memorandum on the stairs on the east side of the
Liberty Street lot. He asked that public parking signs as previously directed by
Council be erected.
3. Adjournment
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Council Work Session February 9, 2015
On a motion by Ma y or Umstattd, seconded by Council Member Butler, the meeting was
adjou ed at 10:S p.m.
Clerk of o cil
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