The City Council will meet on Tuesday, April 6, in a business session at 7 p.m. followed by a work session. Both sessions will be held in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building, which is located at 427 Patton St.
The meeting is open to the public, but attendees may have their temperature screened and must maintain social distancing due to ongoing public health concerns related to the COVID-19 virus.
Also, visitors will be asked to wear a mask while in the building unless they have a medical condition that exempts them from the mask requirement.
Access to the Municipal Building is limited to the first-floor entrance on Court Street.
River City TV, the city’s government access channel, will air the business session. Watch it live on cable (Comcast channel 10 and RiverStreet Networks channel 122) or streaming on the River City TV Facebook page.
During the business session, the City Council will hold first readings on a gang outreach program, a summer youth employment program and airport capital projects. A first reading is an introductory step required by City Code. City Council will vote on these matters later in April.
For the gang outreach program, a grant will provide funding to hire outreach workers who will reach out to identified gang members and link them to services and institutions, as well as provide access to resources to reduce attachment of youth to gangs and gang activities.
The workers will serve as advocates for the youth in securing social services, education and job-related opportunities. The grant also will provide funding for youth that enter into the Project Imagine program's workforce readiness training and life skills training.
The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, awarded a grant for the program in the amount of $488,595. There will be a local share in the amount of $79,983 for a total appropriation of $568,578.
The summer youth employment program is in partnership with community non-profit partners and will offer summer employment opportunities to 50 youth and young adults (ages 16-24). The total cost of the program is anticipated to be $203,534 with the City share estimated to be $131,193 or 64.5 percent of the estimated total program cost.
The airport projects involve construction activities to support hangar facility development and architectural services to complete terminal building renovations. The Virginia Aviation Board has approved funds that will finance 80 percent of the cost of the construction project and 65 percent of the architectural services fees to complete terminal building renovations.
In addition to the first readings, the City Council is scheduled to vote on several matters:
- A request for a special use permit at 1560 Halifax Road that would allow the property owners to raise animals under the agriculture provisions in the zoning ordinance. A public hearing will precede the vote.
- A resolution authorizing renewal of a moral obligation for a loan on 500 Stinson Drive. The property is owned by the Industrial Development Authority and is being leased by Overfinch North America.
- A resolution approving a plan to refinance Industrial Development Authority bonds. The refinancing will take advantage of low interest rates and provide funding for economic development initiatives.
- Resolutions appointing Andre Bethea to the Southern Area Agency on Aging and reappointing Gladys D. Webb to the Southern Area Agency on Aging.
The work session also will be held in Council Chambers but will not be televised. In work sessions, the Council reviews non-routine matters that will be voted upon in future business meetings.
During the work session, the City Council will discuss the city manager’s proposed budget, a transfer of ownership of a public park at 119-121 South Union St., and a resolution releasing nuisance abatement liens against a parcel on Park Street.
In addition, the City Council will hold a closed meeting as allowed by state law to discuss a prospective business or industry related to economic development and to discuss the acquisition of real property or disposition of publicly held real property.
Details on the agenda for both the business and work sessions are available online.