HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016_tcwsmin0926 Council Work Session September 26, 2016
Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor David S. Butler
presiding.
Council Members Present: Kelly Burk, Thomas Dunn, Suzanne Fox, R. Bruce
Gemmill, Katie Sheldon Hammler, Marty Martinez and Mayor Butler.
Council Members Absent: None.
Staff Present: Town Attorney Barbara Notar, Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel,
Director of Planning and Zoning Susan Berry Hill, Director of Capital Projects and
Public Works Renee Lafollette, Chief of Police Vanessa Grigsby, IT Project Manager
John Callahan, Preservation Planner Tom Scofield, and Paralegal Carmen Smith.
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Items for Discussion
a. Outsourcing Final Report
Keith Markel presented Council with the results of the investigation
into outsourcing.
Key Points:
• Every town department outsources some functions of their operations.
• Departments rely significantly on the services of outside consultants,
engineer and software systems to manage daily workload.
• Continued growth means that town staff will need to rely more on
outside firms to provide service or hire more employees.
• During the growing season, public works crews spend a significant
amount of time moving public right-of-way, town facilities and parks.
• Crews are cross-trained to provide other services when not mowing.
• The Town's population has grown 133 percent since 1996, but the
public works streets/fleets/inspections division has only grown 68
percent in the same period.
• Mowing has a small delta between what it costs the town to do
internally versus having an outside firm provide the service.
• Outsourcing mowing would free up staff to perform tasks that are more
expensive to outsource.
• No localities in Virginia have outsourced their Public Information
Office (PIO) duties.
• Keeping PIO functions in-house ensures that the highest quality
information gets pushed to the public.
• Financially and logistically, outsourcing PIO services is less efficient
than performing the duties in-house.
Council Comments/Questions:
• Dunn: Questioned whether benefits and equipment costs were
considered when looking at in-house costs.
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Markel: Stated that both were included in the calculations.
• Gemmill: Stated he likes the ability to utilize employee efforts in other
areas. He stated it is his personal feeling that staff should proceed.
• Martinez: Expressed that this was a waste of staff time.
• Hammler: Stated she assumed that one of the goals of this was a net
savings. She cautioned there could be a net increase to add outsourcing
funds. She stated that the costs associated with TMDLs need to be
carefully tracked so that it can be articulated from a legislative
perspective. Further, she noted that there is a tremendous amount of
trash that keeps building up despite the Keep Leesburg Beautiful efforts
in April. She stated that some of the PIO efforts are outsourced, such
as the design of the website.
• Fox: Stated she agrees with the staff recommendations.
• Butler: Clarified that using outsourced labor for mowing could be
looked at during the budget deliberations.
b. Board of Architectural Review Recommendations for Master Plan—
Garage and Open Areas
Paul Reimers, Chair of the Board of Architectural Review was present
to answer questions.
Council Comments/Questions:
• Fox: Questioned whether all property owners are requested to submit a
master plan.
Reimers: Stated in a large project, such as the Courthouse expansion, a
master plan would be requested.
• Hammler: Questioned whether a master plan can be done in house.
Reimers: Stated that he believes it can be done in-house.
• Hammier: Encouraged the inclusion of the Economic Development
Commission in the process.
Reimers: Added that what happens to the space during the winter
months needs to be identified.
• Martinez: Questioned what a Master Plan would allow and how long
it would take.
Reimers: Stated it would allow everyone to go through the process and
look at all aspects of the site.
Ference: Stated it would take a few months.
• Burk: Questioned whether there is a master plan for the parks in the
town.
Ference: Stated that the master plan is due for updating, probably
within the next calendar year and there are individual master plans for
the town's 16 parks. He stated they do not have a master plan for this
area.
• Burk: Questioned what areas would be included in the master plan.
Reimers: Stated the two plots on either side of the garage and the Rose
Garden.
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Council Work Session September 26, 2016
• Martinez: Stated that a park that is used by families would need
restroom facilities.
• Gemmill: Stated that if it can be done in house, it makes sense.
• Dunn: Stated the BAR does a great job in stewardship of the historic
downtown. Further, he stated the town is overspending by putting
anything in this location as it is not befitting of the historic downtown.
• Butler: Stated he understands the BAR's position. He stated his
opinion that a master plan will be at least a two to three year process.
He stated his concern that developing a master plan involving so many
organizations it will be difficult to come to consensus. He stated his
enthusiasm for a master plan is low. He stated it would be more
appropriate for the BAR to reject the splash pad and then the Master
Plan could start with a clean slate.
• Hammler: Suggested that this be on tomorrow night's agenda and a
decision be made at that time.
There was consensus to add this to tomorrow night's agenda for decision.
c. Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Request Submission to the County of
Loudoun
Jason Cournoyer presented the item to finalize the annual funding
request to the County.
Key Points:
• No gasoline tax this year.
• This covers transit and transportation capital funding and projects that
are associated with the county facilities within the town to be included
in their CIP.
• A continued funding partnership for the school resource officer
program is also included.
• Items that are shown in both the Transportation funding and the county
facilities CIP have been included twice in hopes that if funding is not
provided under one, it will be provided under the other.
Council Comments/Questions:
• Dunn: Stated that the consistent message from the County on the
SROs is that the County will take it over and replace the Town's
officers with Sheriff's deputies if the Town pushes for 100 percent
funding. He stated there appears to be come disparity with what the
SROs are doing during the summer. He suggested an 85/15 split with
the county since it is more equitable with what the officers are actually
doing during the summer.
• Hammler: Stated her agreement with Council Member Dunn's
statement. She stated that Council will need an update on how the
SRO at Douglass School, who is a Sheriff's Deputy, is working. She
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Council Work Session September 26, 2016
stated Council will have to decide if they want to pay the differential to
be able to keep Leesburg officers as SROs, of if they are comfortable
saving that money and having Sheriff's take over the SRO function.
She stated it was alluded during the meeting that summer time is when
the officers take vacation or training that is necessary for the SRO
program.
• Dunn: Stated that he suggested 15 percent because summer is not one
third of the year— it is only about 10 weeks.
• Burk: Questioned when the application to the county is due.
Cournoyer: Stated it is due September 30. He noted that School
Resource officers are at the schools more than the students as there is a
lot of preparation, certification and training that go into getting ready
for the school year. He stated if it is the Council's wish to look at and
present more analytically the numbers of what is school related and
what is not, that information is due October 21.
• Burk: Questioned whether there will be anymore task force meetings.
Cournoyer: Stated that the task force agreed unanimously to dissolve.
Markel: Stated that staff feels comfortable with the 70 percent number
based on how much utilization the town receives from these officers
during the summer months.
• Burk: Stated she is not aware of a lot of time spent preparing for the
school year by SROs. She questioned what the officers are doing
during school holidays.
Grigsby: Stated the officers are back at the Police headquarters and can
be working on cases generated during the year, or they could be on
annual leave or supplemented patrol.
• Dunn: Stated his belief that Leesburg officers are permanently assigned
to a specific school whereas Sheriff's deputies rotate from school to
school.
Grigsby: Stated that the Sheriff's Deputies are assigned.
• Martinez: Questioned the request for transportation funding for Safe-T-
Ride.
Cournoyer: Stated in FY2017, it is about$292,000. He stated that
$300,000 should offset any increase in cost. He stated the exact
numbers are not available yet. He stated that the town staff will need
direction from Council as to any supplemental routes that they would
like to add but the county will update baseline service provided within
the town.
• Martinez: Noted that the new development on the other side of the
airport as well as the move of Walmart will require that section of town
to be served. He questioned the transportation project funding.
Lafollette: Stated that the section of Evergreen Mill Road runs from
Battlefield Parkway to Rt. 15, but the section in front of Heritage High
School is a county responsibility. She added that Battlefield Parkway is
a $1 million that the county put in the 2018 CIP that is gap funding to
ensure there is enough funding in the project to cover the cost of
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Council Work Session September 26, 2016
construction. She stated this is what used to be called "gas tax", but is
now being called transportation funding. Further, she noted the
Sycolin Road project is from the Dominion Power building just south
of Tolbert Lane all the way to the corporate limits.
• Martinez: Expressed his support for keeping town officers in town
schools as SROs.
• Hammler: Thanked the county for their support in getting NVTA
funding for the East Market Street/Battlefield Parkway interchange.
She questioned how town residents will be able to get to the new metro
station.
Lafollette: Stated the Loudoun County Commuter Bus service has a
route that runs to the westernmost station.
• Hammler: Stated that if the town did not have a police force, the
county would be paying a lot more to provide a basic level of police
service within the town. She stated she supports saving the money and
allowing the county to provide the SROs because growth has created
other pressing needs.
• Fox: Questioned whether the county pays for Safe-T-Ride service.
Cournoyer: Stated that the county took over responsibility for basic
levels of service within the town two years ago and the Council
approved the additional funds for the Safe-T-Ride service to supplement
the basic service.
• Fox: Expressed her comfort with having the Sheriff's office take over
the SRO duties for the town.
• Butler: Stated that it appears that the Council would like to ask for the
entire amount to fund the SROs and see what happens.
2. Additions to Future Council Meetings
Dunn: Requested a work session discussion to review the changes that
Crescent Parke is offering before deciding to rescind the vote on the application.
The Chair ruled this request was out of order and will not be entertained. The Chair's
ruling was not overturned by a vote of 4-3.
Gemmill: Requested that a vote to rescind the Crescent Parke application
decision and to direct staff to direct the appropriate resolution to hold a public hearing
on October 25.
There was consensus to place this item on the agenda for tomorrow night for action.
Burk: Requested a discussion regarding alternatives to the herbicides applied
by town staff to areas surrounding creeks and streams.
There was consensus to place this on a work session agenda.
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Council Work Session September 26, 2016
Burk: Requested a proclamation to acknowledge the 20th Anniversary of
Middleburg Bank's operations in Leesburg. She also requested some information
from the Chamber regarding AirBnB.
There was consensus to add these items to a future meeting.
Martinez: Suggested that the new skatepark be named after Eric Brown, who
spearheaded the movement to fund the Catoctin Skatepark.
Hammier: Requested a work session, prior to the public hearing for Crescent
Parke. Staff will add this to the draft resolution.
Butler: Stated there is a parking problem on Meadows Lane and suggested that
the Meadows Lane loop be made one way so that additional parking could be added.
He requested an informational memo.
Further, he noted that the Korean Tae Kwon Do group will be in Leesburg in
October and asked that their visit be coordinated.
There was consensus to add these items.
3. Adjournment
On a motion by Council Member Gemmill, seconded by Council Member Fox, the
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