City Council will meet Tuesday, Dec. 20, in a business session at 7 p.m., followed by a work session. Both sessions are open to the public.
The business session will be held in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building, which is located at 427 Patton St.
The work session will be held on the same floor, but across the hall in the Council Conference Room. In work sessions, Council reviews non-routine matters that will be voted upon in future business meetings.
During the business session, City Council will vote on whether to accept a grant of $13,491 to purchase body-worn cameras to replace aging and out-of-date units in use. The Police Department has received an award from the Department of Criminal Justice Services under the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.
Local matching funds of $1,499 are required and will be taken from state drug seizure funds in possession of the Police Department.
The objective of this project is to provide 26 updated body-worn cameras and three charging/uploading stations to replace aging and out-of-date units that are currently deployed. The updated cameras have significantly improved audio/video recording capabilities and extended battery life.
City Council also is scheduled to vote on an update to its natural hazard mitigation plan. The plan must be updated every five years in order to receive certain federal disaster assistance. Earlier this year, the West Piedmont Planning District Commission hired a consulting firm to update this plan.
The major issues facing the Danville area are storm related, such as snow, ice and flooding.
In addition to these votes, City Council has a first reading on a budget amendment to utilize $5.4 million bond proceeds for various projects, including nearly $2.2 million for Public Schools.
In addition to the schools, the bonds will be used for general government projects as follows:
- $500,000 for the next phase of reconstruction of Riverside Drive,
- $468,000 for roof replacements, $440,677 for airport improvements,
- $440,677 for airport improvements,
- $335,000 to purchase voting machines,
- $275,000 for elevator upgrades in city buildings,
- $275,000 for heating and air conditioning upgrades in city buildings,
- $266,000 for parks paving and recreation facilities improvements,
- $200,000 for fire equipment,
- $75,000 to purchase a crime scene vehicle,
- $33,000 for the regional fire training center.
A first reading is an introductory step required by City code before certain matters can be voted upon by City Council. This step serves to provide public notice of pending action. Council cannot vote on the budget amendment Tuesday. The earliest vote that can take place will be the Jan. 3 City Council meeting.
For the work session, the agenda includes the following items:
- discussion of a recommendation from the Danville Utility Commission to adopt a hybrid fee model that would waive transaction fees when customers pay their utility bills online by credit cards and debit cards. Fees for echeck payments would drop from $2 to $1 per transaction under this model.
- discussion of alternatives for refinancing Industrial Development Authority bonds,
- review of monthly financial statements,
- review of the City’s financial audit,
- closed meeting as allowed by state law to personnel matters.
River City TV, the city’s government access channel, will air the business session. Watch it live on cable (Comcast channel 10 and Gamewood channel 122) or streaming on the River City TV Facebook page and the city's YouTube channel — DanvilleVaGov.
River City TV does not air work sessions, but they are open to the public.