City Council will meet Tuesday, July 17, in a business session and two work sessions. All three sessions are open to the public.
Council's meeting will begin with a special work session at 5:30 p.m. to hear a presentation on a multi-year financial forecasting model developed by the National Resource Network, which is a federally funded consortium of urban experts from private, nonprofit and academic sectors. The model, once in place, will be used to guide City Council in making strategic decisions that will put the city on a sustainable fiscal path.
The regular business session will begin at 7 p.m., followed by a second work session.
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 sessions 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.
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.
River City TV does not air work sessions.
National Resource Network presentation
Launched under the auspices of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities and backed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Resource Network is the only federal program that provides comprehensive technical assistance to cities, including guidance on fiscal management.
David Eichenthal, executive director of the National Resource Network, and his team have been gathering data to develop a budgeting model took with a five-year forecast. Their final report is now ready to be presented to City Council.
Earlier this year, Eichenthal gave City Council a preliminary report with a baseline projection that showed Danville has a structural budget deficit that is only going to worsen over the next five years unless changes are made.
The final report will outline short term strategies to limit spending. These strategies would include potential service reductions, changes in staffing, managed competition, shared services and consolidation, and increases in revenues without inhibiting economic competitiveness.
The report also will provide long term strategies to grow the tax base.
City Council will hear the presentation during the special work session, and then later discuss it during the second work session.
Regular business session
In the business session, a vote is scheduled on proposed changes to the City Code that would provide for additional restrictions on tethering pets and steeper penalties for pet-owners.
The restrictions would include a prohibition on tethering pets outside in temperatures greater than 85 degrees and for female pets that are in heat. It would also restrict the amount of time for a companion animal to be tethered outside from four hours in a 24-hour period to two hours in a 24-hour period.
The penalty for violation of any part of this section would be a class 2 misdemeanor versus the current class 4 misdemeanor.
In other matters, votes are scheduled Tuesday on the following:
- Endorsing three transportation projects for state funding. The projects are a connector road for the Berry Hill Industrial Park, a roundabout on Mount Cross Road at the entrance to the Averett University sports complex, and a third westbound lane on South Boston Road from Kentuck Road to Airport Drive.
- Authorizing a bond issue for capital improvement projects, with $4 million for electrical substation and line rebuilds and $3.4 million for general government projects.
- Approving a moral obligation to back a five-year loan renewal with the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority for debt service on the purchase and up-fit of a shell building in the Cane Creek Industrial Park. The building, located at 500 Cane Creek Parkway, was first used by GOK International, but now will be used by Unison.
- Amending the city manager’s contract to provide for an increase in salary and benefits.
- Setting the compensation of the city attorney.
- Appointing/reappointing City Council members to various boards and commissions, including the Danville Development Council, Employee Retirement System Board of Trustees and the West Piedmont Planning District Commission.
- Amending the budget to provide for federal and state money for a regional bus service.
- Amending the budget to provide for a federal grant to pay for the set-up of an office, salary and benefits for a gang prevention coordinator position.
In addition to these votes, City Council will hold a first reading on a budget amendment to provide for a state grant for airport maintenance. 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 this matter Tuesday. The earliest vote that can take place will be the next City Council meeting.