[1:01] Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the

[1:03] Williamsburg City Council meeting of

[1:04] Thursday, January 8th. Miss McCay, would

[1:07] you call the role, please?

[1:08] >> Miss Williams

[1:09] » Miss Williams

[1:09] >> here. Miss Ramsey

[1:10] » here. Miss Ramsey

[1:10] >> here. Mayor Ponds

[1:11] » here. Mayor Ponds

[1:11] >> here.

[1:11] » here.

[1:11] >> Vice Mayor Dent

[1:12] » Vice Mayor Dent

[1:12] >> here.

[1:12] » here.

[1:12] >> Miss Kernier

[1:13] » Miss Kernier

[1:13] >> here.

[1:14] » here.

[1:14] >> Okay, now that we're all here, um, first

[1:16] » Okay, now that we're all here, um, first

[1:16] on our agenda is council minutes. We

[1:18] have several here for approval. Are

[1:20] there any modifications or changes

[1:23] there? A motion.

[1:24] >> So I move that the meetings from the

[1:27] » So I move that the meetings from the

[1:27] December 4th, December 8th, and December

[1:30] 11th meetings be approved.

[1:34] >> Second,

[1:35] » Second,

[1:35] >> Mccay.

[1:36] » Mccay.

[1:36] >> Miss Williams.

[1:36] » Miss Williams.

[1:36] >> I miss Ramsey.

[1:38] » I miss Ramsey.

[1:38] >> I Mayor Ponds.

[1:39] » I Mayor Ponds.

[1:39] >> I

[1:39] » I

[1:39] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[1:40] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[1:40] >> I miss Kerner.

[1:41] » I miss Kerner.

[1:41] >> I

[1:41] » I

[1:41] >> Okay. Next is matter of special pres uh

[1:44] » Okay. Next is matter of special pres uh

[1:44] special privileges. And this is a

[1:46] presentation of excellence and service

[1:47] award to Chris Puit. So Mr. Puit, if you

[1:50] would join me at the podium, please.

[2:03] » Well, so every quarter, I guess the city

[2:06] repres uh recognizes

[2:09] employees that have gone over and above

[2:11] and and turn in the barrel, so to speak,

[2:13] is Mr. Puit. So I have a

[2:17] to read. So since joining the city of

[2:19] Williamsburg's park and recreation

[2:21] recreation department in 2019 as an

[2:23] athletic programs coordinator, Chris has

[2:25] consistently demonstrated outstanding

[2:27] dedication, professionalism, and

[2:29] leadership. Through his strong work

[2:31] ethic and ethic and commitment to the

[2:34] internal and public service, he has

[2:36] risen through the ranks and now serves

[2:37] as assistant director. Chris answers the

[2:40] call to service without hesitation.

[2:43] frequently volunteering his time and

[2:45] stepping in whenever support is needed,

[2:48] often beyond the scope of his role.

[2:50] Consistently goes over and above and

[2:52] beyond to provide excellent customer

[2:54] service, ensuring positive experiences

[2:56] for staff, partners, and the community.

[3:00] Known for his collaborative spirit,

[3:03] pleasant demeanor, and positive

[3:05] attitude, Chris fosters a workplace

[3:07] culture grounded in teamwork,

[3:09] reliability, and mutual respect. He not

[3:12] only contributes his own efforts but

[3:14] also shares thoughtful ideas and pro

[3:16] with that improve the processes and

[3:18] strengthens the operation encouraging

[3:21] those around him to succeed. His actions

[3:24] exemplify Williamsburg the Williamsburg

[3:26] way and reflects a genuine commitment to

[3:29] service of others. Chris has earned both

[3:31] the certified public certified parks and

[3:34] recreational profession and the

[3:36] certified playground safety inspectors

[3:39] credentials through the national

[3:40] recreation park association

[3:44] underscoring his commitment to the

[3:45] highest standards of parks and

[3:47] recreation. Accordingly, Chris is hereby

[3:50] recognized for his dedication and

[3:52] excellence and keeping best traditions

[3:54] of public service in the city of

[3:55] Williamsburg. So, congratulations.

[3:58] >> Get this

[4:12] This is truly an honor to receive this

[4:13] award. I want to give a thank you to

[4:16] Mayor Ponds and members of city council

[4:18] and uh our city manager, Mr. Trivet, and

[4:20] my department head, Robbie Hutton, and

[4:22] all the parks and rec crew. Um over the

[4:25] last seven years, I've really loved

[4:27] working for the city and I've gotten to

[4:29] work on um many different events with

[4:31] many different uh departments. And the

[4:33] one thing that really makes this place

[4:34] special is working with all the other

[4:36] different departments and how everyone

[4:38] really joins in for that one common goal

[4:40] of working together to make sure that we

[4:42] provide the best services that we can.

[4:44] So truly proud to be able to serve this

[4:46] community and uh be a part of this team

[4:48] and contribute to the city in any way

[4:49] that I can. Thank you again.

[4:59] Thank you, Chris, and thank you for all

[5:00] that you do for this city. It certainly

[5:02] makes us a better place to live, work,

[5:03] and play.

[5:06] Okay. Uh takes us now to public hearing,

[5:09] uh which is an opportunity for anybody

[5:10] in the public who would like to come

[5:12] forward and address city council on any

[5:14] matters.

[5:15] >> Sorry, public. No, no public hearings.

[5:19] » Sorry, public. No, no public hearings.

[5:19] Gosh, I misread that. Thank you. So now

[5:21] is not the time. Soon will be the time

[5:23] for you to come forward. Um reports. Um

[5:27] first is monthly financial statement.

[5:29] Miss Damron. Thank you.

[5:35] » Good afternoon. Um

[5:38] this month we're going to start uh first

[5:40] looking at the year-to- date for

[5:43] December and then we're going to show a

[5:45] couple of slides uh for the uh year end

[5:48] results in 25. Uh we're first going to

[5:52] take a look at the 1% sales tax report.

[5:55] And as you can see from the slide, we

[5:57] are at uh as of the end of December,

[5:59] we're at 34% of budget and we are

[6:01] showing a 2.3% increase compared to last

[6:05] year. this time. Um, and I will remind

[6:09] you that even though we're talking about

[6:10] December, it'll be two more months.

[6:12] It'll be February before we see the

[6:14] results of the Christmas sales. And then

[6:17] our room tax, we see that we're at 41%

[6:21] of our budget. We show a um little bit

[6:24] over 10% increase compared to last year.

[6:27] However, I'll remind you again that

[6:29] there are some delinquent collections

[6:31] that we're pursuing in this and will be

[6:33] for the next two or three months. Um,

[6:36] but we'll continue to monitor that. Uh,

[6:39] and then on our meals tax, we see that

[6:42] we're at 37% of budget. We show a slight

[6:46] increase year to date uh to slightly

[6:49] over half a percent. This one has been

[6:52] uh up one month and down the next month.

[6:54] So, for instance, for December, we

[6:56] showed a 3.8% increase compared to just

[6:59] the monthly data. Um, but I think the

[7:02] previous month we were down um maybe

[7:05] about 2.8%. The month before that we

[7:08] were up about a little over 6% and then

[7:11] we were down in the first month. So,

[7:13] we'll continue to keep a close eye on

[7:15] that um and keep you a breast of any

[7:18] changes.

[7:19] And then on the um $2 lodging tax,

[7:24] again, uh we see we're at 40% of budget

[7:27] and a 12% increase compared to last

[7:29] year. This also includes some delinquent

[7:32] collections um along with the rooms. The

[7:36] historic sales tax, we're at 35% of

[7:40] budget. We show a 5% increase compared

[7:43] to last year.

[7:45] And then on our real estate revenue,

[7:48] we're at 50% of budget, which is exactly

[7:50] where I like to see us at this point in

[7:52] time. Uh, and we show a 4.4% increase

[7:56] compared to last year. this time

[8:00] on our local tax revenue. Our first uh

[8:04] side to the left there is a personal

[8:07] property tax and uh we're at 83% of

[8:11] budget showing a 19.5% increase compared

[8:15] to last year. We will, even though the

[8:17] due dates for both the personal property

[8:20] and the business property tax was

[8:22] December 1st, we will continue to

[8:25] collect on that throughout um between

[8:27] now and the end of the year. On the

[8:30] business tax, we're at 87% of the budget

[8:33] and we're almost a 3% decrease compared

[8:36] to last year. Um so we will of course

[8:39] continue to monitor that as well. Now,

[8:43] um

[8:44] we're looking at how we landed last year

[8:47] with our real estate. We're comparing it

[8:50] to previous years. So, you'll see that

[8:53] um last year we showed a 7.6%

[8:56] increase compared to the previous years.

[8:59] The bars show actual and on the bars we

[9:02] show the tax rate for the given year

[9:04] because there were some increases and

[9:06] then some decreases. And the gold or

[9:09] orange line um is the budget. So you can

[9:12] see that we we compare very well our

[9:15] actual to budget. And um we didn't put

[9:19] the percentone there, but I can tell you

[9:21] that the we are trickling down from the

[9:24] years that we had doubledigit increases.

[9:27] Um and I think we'll cons continue to

[9:30] see that smooth out a bit as we move

[9:33] forward.

[9:36] And then on our personal or on our

[9:39] property tax, personal and business, the

[9:43] dark blue line is the personal property

[9:45] tax. The light blue is the business

[9:48] license tax. Um, and you can tell in um

[9:54] well, in 22 we start to see in personal

[9:57] property that increase in the um um

[10:00] automobiles. you really see the jump in

[10:03] 23 which is interesting because we

[10:05] actually decreased the percent we only

[10:07] valued at 80% of the JD P's loan value

[10:11] average loan value in 23 um and then we

[10:16] see uh still an uptick in 24 now we see

[10:20] it's starting to level out as we enter

[10:22] 25

[10:24] um and then you can also tell that the

[10:27] uh business property stays fairly level

[10:30] Um that concludes my charts. I will add

[10:33] that our general fund both revenues and

[10:36] expenditures are performing as expected.

[10:40] Um you a couple of outliers um transfers

[10:44] that we made this year and expenditures

[10:46] that maybe we didn't make till later in

[10:48] the year last year, that type of thing.

[10:50] Um you the utility revenue and

[10:53] expenditures are trending with budget.

[10:55] Um but I'm happy to answer any questions

[10:57] you might have.

[10:59] >> Thank you, Mr. Dam. I don't have any

[11:00] » Thank you, Mr. Dam. I don't have any

[11:00] questions.

[11:01] >> Yeah, no questions. Thank you.

[11:03] » Yeah, no questions. Thank you.

[11:03] >> None for me either. And I really

[11:05] » None for me either. And I really

[11:05] appreciate the charts that you show as

[11:07] an overview. It's very helpful.

[11:10] >> No questions. Thank you.

[11:11] » No questions. Thank you.

[11:11] >> Thank you, Director Dammer.

[11:14] » Thank you, Director Dammer.

[11:14] Okay. Uh, next is monthly departmental

[11:16] operating reports. Mr. Drivet, who do we

[11:18] have today?

[11:19] >> Yeah, today we're going to hear from

[11:20] » Yeah, today we're going to hear from

[11:20] public works who's going to give us some

[11:21] updates on some pending projects.

[11:24] >> Welcome, Mr. Reid.

[11:27] » Welcome, Mr. Reid.

[11:27] >> Good afternoon, mayor and members of

[11:28] » Good afternoon, mayor and members of

[11:28] city council. Um, as the city manager

[11:31] said, we're just going to go over a

[11:32] couple of projects. I know a few um that

[11:35] you're familiar with.

[11:38] Our department manages roughly 50

[11:40] projects at any given time. So, here's

[11:41] just a handful of what we have going on.

[11:44] Um, starting with the Capand Well, give

[11:47] you an overview. Capital Landing Road

[11:49] improvements. We're going to talk about

[11:50] Waller Mill Dam. um a few of the pump

[11:54] station rehabs, the water treatment

[11:57] filter inspections, and the fuel station

[12:00] canopy replacement.

[12:03] As you are all familiar with, we are

[12:05] still working on the cap landing road

[12:07] improvements. To um refresh your memory,

[12:10] what that all included was a water line

[12:13] replacement. Um we took all of the

[12:15] overhead utilities and put them

[12:16] underground. Once we get to

[12:19] construction, we'll be installing new

[12:21] curb and gutter, street signs, um

[12:24] additional sidewalks, obviously

[12:25] improving the landscaping.

[12:28] We're going to realign the roadway at

[12:30] the intersection and that'll actually

[12:32] become a signalized intersection. It'll

[12:34] allow for a fourth leg into the sports

[12:37] complex

[12:39] and it'll go from the four lanes to two

[12:43] lane with a road diet in the middle.

[12:47] So the preliminary engineering phase is

[12:51] coming to conclusion and the roadblock

[12:54] that we've been waiting on is we were

[12:56] finally able to go to rightaway phase

[12:58] and we're in rightway phase now. Um we

[13:01] only have one property owner we need to

[13:03] negotiate with and once we're able to

[13:05] acquire that rightway we'll be able to

[13:07] go to the construction phase. We hope to

[13:10] put the project out to bid in the fall,

[13:13] which means that construction we hope

[13:16] will begin in the spring of 2027. Um

[13:19] that will be the streetscape, curb and

[13:21] gutter, sidewalk, etc., and the

[13:24] intersection improvements.

[13:29] Um, another project that you're aware of

[13:32] is the Watermel Dam improvements.

[13:35] VDM reclassified our dam from a low

[13:38] hazard to a high hazard, requiring us to

[13:41] make some upgrades and simply we're

[13:43] going to raise the dam to increase the

[13:46] capacity of the flood it can handle. Um

[13:50] we applied to FEMA and VM and were

[13:52] awarded a grant. Um it's 100% funded

[13:56] through this grant. Um and the funds

[13:58] were allocated just this past August. So

[14:00] we are able to begin the project. 90%

[14:04] plans are complete and we hope to have

[14:07] PR plans complete put it out to bid in

[14:10] the fall and again this project we hope

[14:12] to begin in spring of 27.

[14:17] Some of the new projects from last year

[14:20] were pump stage pump station

[14:22] rehabilitation.

[14:24] Um with the money we have for design we

[14:28] were able to start design on two of

[14:29] them. That's pump station six and nine.

[14:32] These upgrades will include any and

[14:35] everything from new pumps,

[14:38] drives, piping, um PLC as pro

[14:41] programmable logic controllers. This the

[14:43] brains of what tells the pumps what to

[14:45] do. Um we think we'll have design

[14:48] complete this fiscal year, so by July 1.

[14:52] And we think we can start construction

[14:53] in fall of 26.

[14:59] the filter inspections out at the plant.

[15:01] It we're a little past due on these. And

[15:03] so the first thing we do is we inspect

[15:07] the

[15:08] sand media to see if it's still in the

[15:12] kind of shape we want it to be in. Um,

[15:15] first the engineers will come and in

[15:17] inspect the structure of of the filters

[15:19] themselves and we were actually able to

[15:21] find the original manufacturer of the

[15:22] filters and they come out in February

[15:25] and their report will let us know if

[15:27] that sand media needs to be replaced if

[15:30] it does. We'll likely look at uh

[15:33] granular activated carbon and what that

[15:36] will do is it absorbs a lot of

[15:39] contaminants up to including PAS.

[15:41] eliminating PAS is an issue in the

[15:43] future. We do foresee needing to change

[15:46] that media, but we needed the inspection

[15:47] report to to confirm that.

[15:51] And lastly, um

[15:55] the fuel canopy station replacement.

[15:57] This was approved in last year's budget.

[15:59] We put it out to bid

[16:02] um and got bids back in October and it

[16:05] exceeded the budget. So, we negotiated

[16:07] with the bidder and we were able to

[16:10] reduce the scope. We're going to do the

[16:12] demolition in house and that should

[16:13] bring it under budget. Um, we're waiting

[16:16] on a final price from them right now. If

[16:19] it brings it under budget, we'll demo

[16:22] the the current canopy in house and we

[16:25] should be able to start that project in

[16:27] March.

[16:29] You have any questions, please let me

[16:31] know.

[16:32] >> Uh, thank you, Mr. Reid. Um, you know,

[16:34] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Reid. Um, you know,

[16:34] it's it's interesting to hear, uh, you

[16:37] know, generally have about 50 projects

[16:39] going on, which is which is quite a

[16:41] workload. And I I applaud you and your

[16:43] team for getting all these things done

[16:46] because in addition to those planned

[16:49] projects, we have emergencies that

[16:50] happen, for example, here on South Henry

[16:52] Street. Yes, sir. Um,

[16:55] North Henry Street, um, which, you know,

[16:58] took a lot of time and took men men and

[17:00] women away from what they generally do.

[17:02] So, I I applaud you for being able to to

[17:04] do all that stuff. Uh related to Capital

[17:07] Landing Road, um

[17:10] the

[17:12] going to go out to bid in the fall of 26

[17:15] and hopefully construction begins on 27.

[17:19] That that includes the resurfacing of

[17:21] the street in that time frame. Okay. Um

[17:23] I know that it's not the most desirable

[17:26] street now. Um, and if you if you've

[17:28] traversed it as I have, um,

[17:32] rattles your dentures out. So, um, so

[17:35] can't wait to see that come to

[17:37] completion. So, so thank you for that,

[17:39] Vice Mayor.

[17:40] >> Yeah, thank you, Mr. Reed. And the mayor

[17:41] » Yeah, thank you, Mr. Reed. And the mayor

[17:41] just touched on the point I wanted to

[17:43] make is we have a lot of CIS citizens

[17:44] that talk about that right lane of

[17:46] Capitol Landing where the water line was

[17:48] replaced. Um, and I realize it'd be a

[17:51] huge expense to repave the whole thing,

[17:53] but I often wonder when when I drove

[17:55] through there, there seemed like a

[17:56] couple places where

[17:59] worse than others that maybe if it's

[18:01] going to be 27 there, there could be

[18:04] something done to kind of smooth those

[18:07] out a little bit.

[18:08] >> We we can look at the patch and see

[18:09] » We we can look at the patch and see

[18:09] where we can make some some

[18:10] improvements.

[18:12] >> Thank you.

[18:12] » Thank you.

[18:12] >> Yes, sir.

[18:13] » Yes, sir.

[18:14] >> Sure.

[18:14] » Sure.

[18:14] >> My questions have been answered. Thank

[18:15] » My questions have been answered. Thank

[18:15] you. Uh, thank you for the update and I

[18:18] think everyone's anxious for Capitol

[18:20] Landing Road to be completed since the

[18:24] sports center will be opening this

[18:26] summer and we expect a lot of traffic

[18:28] there. So, I think anything to um to

[18:31] mediate some of those concerns would be

[18:34] great. My question was once construction

[18:36] starts in the spring of 27, how long do

[18:40] you anticipate for everything to be

[18:43] done?

[18:44] >> 12 to 18 months.

[18:46] » 12 to 18 months.

[18:46] be an additional 12 to 18 months.

[18:48] >> Okay. So, that puts us into like the

[18:51] » Okay. So, that puts us into like the

[18:51] middle of 2028.

[18:54] >> Fortunately, dealing with grant funds,

[18:56] » Fortunately, dealing with grant funds,

[18:56] there's a lot of paperwork and it

[18:59] extends the process significantly.

[19:01] >> And I know that we were waiting on some

[19:03] » And I know that we were waiting on some

[19:03] grant funds from the federal government.

[19:06] Are we still waiting on those? With this

[19:09] particular project, we were waiting on

[19:11] authorization to go to the rightway

[19:13] phase and we did just recently get that

[19:15] authorization.

[19:16] >> So, the project's moving forward again.

[19:17] » So, the project's moving forward again.

[19:17] >> Okay, good. And um just out of

[19:21] » Okay, good. And um just out of

[19:21] curiosity, pump station six and nine,

[19:24] where are they?

[19:26] >> Great question.

[19:28] » Great question.

[19:28] Um I believe nine is

[19:33] this is where

[19:35] neighborhood names. I would have to get

[19:37] back to you on that. That's okay. I was

[19:39] just curious.

[19:40] >> How many pump stations are there? 13.

[19:42] » How many pump stations are there? 13.

[19:42] >> 15. 15. Okay.

[19:46] » 15. 15. Okay.

[19:46] >> Well, thank you for the presentation.

[19:47] » Well, thank you for the presentation.

[19:47] Um, all my questions have already been

[19:49] answered, but I just wanted to applaud

[19:51] you and your team, especially with

[19:52] juggling so many projects as um at once

[19:55] and the emergencies we had this year as

[19:58] well and just the quick action that was

[19:59] taken with those. So, thank you again.

[20:01] >> Thank you.

[20:02] » Thank you.

[20:02] >> Thank you, Mr. Reid.

[20:05] » Thank you, Mr. Reid.

[20:05] >> Okay. City manager report. Mr. Trivet,

[20:07] » Okay. City manager report. Mr. Trivet,

[20:07] anything? City attorney Michelle,

[20:09] >> nothing today.

[20:11] » nothing today.

[20:11] >> All right. Now, the open form that I I

[20:15] » All right. Now, the open form that I I

[20:15] promised you earlier. Uh, so this is

[20:18] open form is an opportunity for anybody

[20:20] to like to come forward to speak to city

[20:22] council on matters uh of on their mind.

[20:25] I see we have one willing participant,

[20:28] Mr. Kirkland. Welcome.

[20:33] Thank you, Mayor Ponds, members of

[20:35] council. Ron Kirkland, Williamsburg

[20:38] Hotel Motel Association, 101A Richmond

[20:40] Road, Williamsburg, Virginia. Um,

[20:45] nobody likes taking money out and paying

[20:48] taxes, whether you're a individual or a

[20:50] business. But over the last 20 plus

[20:54] years, what I have enjoyed is driving to

[20:57] work to Williamsburg every day on nicely

[21:00] maintained streets and safe streets. I

[21:03] don't have to worry about getting

[21:04] mugged. We have lots of services and

[21:06] events and really a high quality of life

[21:09] here in our our little city. And you

[21:12] know those things have to get paid for.

[21:14] And so

[21:16] during the discussion of how those those

[21:18] revenues gets raised, uh we had a lot of

[21:22] great inclusive conversations with city

[21:25] manager, members of council, staff, and

[21:29] through all that um we were able to

[21:32] avoid property tax increase for our

[21:34] industry, which has a real negative

[21:36] effect on the bottom line. and we uh

[21:40] came to a solution where we can uh pass

[21:42] those uh expenses on to to consumers who

[21:45] may come from out of town to to come on

[21:47] vacation and that was really good. Um

[21:51] over time we were able to reduce the

[21:53] amount of the the sales tax. We got a

[21:56] dealer discount on credit card fees.

[21:57] Those are both very good. And uh

[22:00] ultimately I think we

[22:03] city has come up with a model that's

[22:05] going to get the revenue that you need.

[22:07] It's not going to have a tremendous

[22:08] impact on local folks, particularly the

[22:11] lodging industry. And I just want to say

[22:13] thank you for the the process. It is

[22:15] very thoughtful and and well done. And

[22:17] we look forward to continuing working

[22:18] with the city in the future. Thank you,

[22:21] Mr.

[22:21] >> Kirkland. Would anybody else like to

[22:23] » Kirkland. Would anybody else like to

[22:24] come forward?

[22:30] » That's Fairbanks. Welcome.

[22:34] Sabrina Fairbanks, 119, Berkeley Lane,

[22:37] Walnut Hills. Good afternoon, mayor,

[22:40] vice mayor, members of council. Uh it's

[22:43] my understanding you're going to vote

[22:44] today on increasing uh revenue for the

[22:48] city through these the lodging,

[22:50] admissions, and meal taxes. And that the

[22:53] crux of this is to help fund the CIP

[22:56] projects which are on the books. Um,

[23:00] business owner friends have shared with

[23:02] us that they would like to see the

[23:05] property owners, residents help share

[23:08] this tax burden. While the resident

[23:11] property owners think that with the

[23:13] rising the raise the rising assessments

[23:17] and uh increase in utilities that

[23:22] we're we are helping share the burden uh

[23:24] in terms of revenue. Um the one thing

[23:28] that we can agree on the business owners

[23:30] and the residents is that um

[23:35] we would like the city to look more at

[23:38] cutting the expenditures on the CIP side

[23:42] of things rather than continuing just to

[23:45] how can many taxes how much tax revenue

[23:49] can we generate. Uh some of these CIP

[23:52] projects have been on the books for

[23:54] years. their ideas which were generated

[23:58] uh from old surveys 2017.

[24:02] They're based on surveys uh from the

[24:05] future festivals which non-residents

[24:07] completed. Um so it might be time to

[24:12] look at how many years are we going to

[24:14] kick these things down the road and try

[24:16] to figure out how to fund them. Uh I

[24:20] believe the city manager has been quoted

[24:22] as saying the increased taxes will be

[24:25] passed on to the visitors rather than

[24:26] the businesses. Uh just thinking about

[24:29] the restaurants, I don't understand this

[24:31] because um minimum wages are going up.

[24:36] You know, the cost of food, from what

[24:39] they tell me is rising.

[24:42] And I don't when they say it's going to

[24:45] be on the visitors, I feel like it's

[24:46] going to be a burden to the businesses.

[24:48] And I think that they have made that

[24:50] very clear at all the meetings that I've

[24:51] attended.

[24:53] And in terms of just thinking that we'll

[24:57] generate this revenue from the tourists

[24:59] or from the visitors, I just wanted to

[25:02] share a personal story.

[25:04] So I brought a prop.

[25:07] This is the size cup. I was at a

[25:09] conference in Virginia Beach in

[25:11] September and the uh cocktail hour came.

[25:17] We went, we paid our $50 and we thought

[25:20] that would certainly that will come with

[25:22] a couple of drink tokens. No. So, they

[25:26] filled about half of this cup up with

[25:28] wine and it was $10.

[25:31] And I thought, well, you know, it's a

[25:34] conference and that's okay. It's good

[25:36] for tourism for Virginia Beach. So, we

[25:39] put my credit card out for the $10 half

[25:43] a cup of wine and the total was uh

[25:46] $13.70.

[25:50] And I thought in my mind I'm thinking,

[25:53] how do I tactfully ask if that's tax and

[25:56] tip uh for a $10 cup of wine? And before

[26:01] I could even think about how to uh pose

[26:04] that question, the bartender said it's

[26:07] all tax.

[26:08] So I'm assuming he'd been hearing this

[26:11] and he said city council passed

[26:13] something over the summer and they're

[26:15] calling it a tourism tax or something

[26:17] like that. He wasn't sure what the name

[26:18] of the tax was. So, if you can imagine,

[26:23] everybody at this conference could

[26:25] afford it, but we I don't know one

[26:28] person who went back for a second cup of

[26:30] wine. And I'm I'm very worried that

[26:33] these taxes that's what's going to

[26:35] happen. Even the visitors are going to

[26:37] say, you know, this is excessive. And uh

[26:41] people were talking about it. And then

[26:43] the mandator the attendees of the at

[26:45] this mandatory conference went to their

[26:47] classes and spouses others uh went to

[26:51] the grocery store and went to drove to

[26:53] total wine and bought wine. So I mean

[26:57] that kind of tax killed that bar

[27:00] business for that conference. So that's

[27:03] what I wanted to share with you and I

[27:06] hope you will consider lowering these

[27:09] taxes if voting for them at all and then

[27:12] really in the moving forward let's look

[27:15] at some of these CIP projects because

[27:18] they just may be too expensive for our

[27:20] small community. Thank you.

[27:30] Anybody else?

[27:31] Seeing none, I'll close the open form

[27:33] and we'll move on to unfinished

[27:35] business. And first is consideration and

[27:37] action regarding proposed ordinance

[27:38] 25-02 to amend section 18237

[27:42] and article 2 of section 18-271

[27:45] and 18-272

[27:48] 18-273

[27:50] and 18- 282 articles 8 of chapter 18 of

[27:55] the code of uh to increase the levied

[27:59] levy uh transient lodging tax and

[28:03] prepared foods and beverage tax

[28:06] specify the distribution of the portion

[28:08] of transient occupancy tax provided by

[28:12] the historic triangle marketing fund.

[28:13] Miss Shelton,

[28:14] >> so during council's budget process last

[28:17] » so during council's budget process last

[28:17] year, council held public hearings

[28:18] regarding increasing the tax rates for

[28:21] the transient occupancy tax and also for

[28:24] the prepared food and beverage tax. Um

[28:26] the both of those rates were advertised

[28:28] at 7%. After the public hearing and as

[28:31] part of city council's discussion, staff

[28:33] um was uh directed to lower the rate for

[28:37] meals tax to six and a half percent and

[28:39] also to include a deduction from the tax

[28:42] paid for these taxes of 2%. So each

[28:46] month the the amount of the tax 2% of

[28:48] the amount of the tax will be deducted

[28:50] from the bill. Those changes are

[28:52] included in the ordinance. council

[28:55] postponed consideration and action on

[28:58] these this ordinance until today and so

[29:00] they are in front of you for your

[29:01] consideration.

[29:03] >> Good. Thank you. Okay. So, yeah, we we

[29:06] » Good. Thank you. Okay. So, yeah, we we

[29:06] had uh lots of conversations about this

[29:08] back in February, March, April, May,

[29:12] June of of last year with the

[29:16] understanding that we would be taking

[29:18] this action today. And I feel like um

[29:20] with all the conversation that we had

[29:22] the needs of the city um at the time we

[29:25] certainly felt that that is this

[29:27] decision was best way to meet the needs

[29:30] of the city. So I'm prepared to move

[29:32] forward.

[29:33] >> Mayor.

[29:34] » Mayor.

[29:34] >> Thank you mayor. Yeah. I mean we've had

[29:36] » Thank you mayor. Yeah. I mean we've had

[29:36] a lot of discussion about this and as

[29:38] one of the speakers pointed out nobody

[29:40] likes a new tax or an increased tax. Um,

[29:43] but also back in those discussions,

[29:45] there were several people that reached

[29:47] out and talked about increasing real

[29:48] estate tax and and that's something that

[29:51] council considered, but it was a

[29:53] significant real estate tax increase to

[29:56] make up the revenue that um would

[29:58] generate from these additional taxes.

[30:00] And based on some of the conversation

[30:02] that took place back then, as uh Miss

[30:05] Shelton indicated, some of those some of

[30:08] that was reduced and we included the the

[30:10] 2% rebate for uh the credit cards. So, I

[30:15] think we there's been healthy

[30:16] discussions, but we're at a point where

[30:18] we approved a budget based on on these

[30:21] revenues coming in. So, um I'm prepared

[30:24] to support it as well.

[30:27] >> That was well said. I don't really have

[30:28] » That was well said. I don't really have

[30:28] anything to add. We had a lot of

[30:30] difficult conversations about this when

[30:31] we passed the budget and the budget was

[30:34] passed with these with these in mind and

[30:36] so my position hasn't changed uh since

[30:38] then.

[30:39] >> Thank you, M.

[30:41] » Thank you, M.

[30:41] >> Um, thank you. I would echo what Miss

[30:44] » Um, thank you. I would echo what Miss

[30:44] Kerner said and that I think the mayor

[30:47] and vice mayor u stated the situation

[30:50] well and I'm prepared to to uh vote for

[30:54] this as well.

[30:56] I'm also prepared to move forward with

[30:58] this decision. Um, as it's been

[31:01] previously stated, we've had a lot of

[31:04] conversations, especially I guess back

[31:06] last budget season um during that cycle.

[31:10] Um, it's not the most exciting thing

[31:13] moving forward, but definitely

[31:14] necessary.

[31:18] » Comments? Is there a motion? So I move

[31:20] that city council adopt proposed

[31:22] ordinance 25-02.

[31:25] >> Second

[31:28] » Second

[31:28] McKay

[31:29] >> Williams.

[31:29] » Williams.

[31:30] >> I miss Ramsey.

[31:31] » I miss Ramsey.

[31:31] >> Hi.

[31:31] » Hi.

[31:31] >> Mayor Ponds.

[31:32] » Mayor Ponds.

[31:32] >> Hi.

[31:32] » Hi.

[31:32] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[31:33] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[31:33] >> Hi.

[31:33] » Hi.

[31:33] >> Miss Kerner.

[31:34] » Miss Kerner.

[31:34] >> I.

[31:35] » I.

[31:35] >> Item B uh under all business is

[31:37] » Item B uh under all business is

[31:37] consideration and action regarding

[31:39] proposed ordinance 25-03

[31:42] to add article 7 admissions tax to

[31:45] chapter 18 of the code of uh city code.

[31:48] Miss Shelton.

[31:49] >> Similarly, city council considered this

[31:51] » Similarly, city council considered this

[31:51] item during the budget session. It was

[31:54] advertised as a rate of 10% on an

[31:56] admissions that's paid in the city.

[31:59] Council requested that we make some

[32:01] modifications to that, too. So, we've

[32:03] created classes as part of the

[32:04] ordinance. The class school events are

[32:07] exempt under the ordinance in front of

[32:09] you. The tax is 10% on the first $10,

[32:12] which is what council directed staff to

[32:14] provide at this meeting. council

[32:16] postponed consideration and action of

[32:18] that item again to this meeting and so

[32:20] it's in front of city council for your

[32:22] consideration.

[32:24] >> So 10% on the first $10 is essentially a

[32:27] » So 10% on the first $10 is essentially a

[32:27] dollar. Um okay good. So my my position

[32:30] is the same as I stated on the previous

[32:32] agenda item. So I'll turn it over to

[32:35] >> I have nothing to add.

[32:36] » I have nothing to add.

[32:36] >> Nothing to add. And the only thing I

[32:39] » Nothing to add. And the only thing I

[32:39] would add is that I feel we we did a a

[32:41] good made it a good decision applying a

[32:44] cap for the $10 because I don't think a

[32:46] dollar really creates a burden on um on

[32:50] people who are coming for various

[32:52] admissions.

[32:54] >> Yes, I'm prepared to move forward as

[32:55] » Yes, I'm prepared to move forward as

[32:55] well.

[32:56] >> Is there a motion?

[32:57] » Is there a motion?

[32:57] >> So I move that city council adopt

[32:59] » So I move that city council adopt

[32:59] proposed ordinance 25-03.

[33:02] >> Second.

[33:04] » Second.

[33:04] >> M

[33:05] » M

[33:05] >> Williams I. Miss Ramsey,

[33:07] » Williams I. Miss Ramsey,

[33:07] >> I

[33:07] » I

[33:07] >> Mayor Ponds.

[33:08] » Mayor Ponds.

[33:08] >> Hi,

[33:08] » Hi,

[33:08] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[33:09] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[33:09] >> I miss Kerner.

[33:10] » I miss Kerner.

[33:10] >> Hi.

[33:11] » Hi.

[33:11] >> Okay. New business. Uh item A is

[33:13] » Okay. New business. Uh item A is

[33:13] consideration and action regarding

[33:14] proposed resolution number 26-01

[33:17] amending the public assistance fund

[33:19] budget for the city of Williamsburg,

[33:21] Virginia for the fiscal year ending June

[33:23] 30th, 2026 and authorizing the payment

[33:26] of said grant proceeds to Leticia's

[33:28] house. Miss Damron.

[33:32] » Yes. Um the state's 26 budget contained

[33:36] a 300,000 grant to Leticia's House,

[33:39] which is a nonprofit located in James

[33:41] City County. Um however, the budget

[33:44] language specifically said that the city

[33:46] would uh pass through that grant. We've

[33:49] worked with the state to get it to be a

[33:51] pass through grant, meaning we're not

[33:53] having to monitor the expenditures. And

[33:56] so we're asking for city council to

[34:00] approve resolution 26-1 authorizing the

[34:03] city manager to pay the G grant monies

[34:06] that are received from the state over um

[34:08] to Leticia's house.

[34:11] >> Thank you, Mr. uh Damron. So I I presume

[34:14] » Thank you, Mr. uh Damron. So I I presume

[34:14] I obviously money going to Leticia's

[34:16] house will serve a good purpose. The

[34:18] grant couldn't just go to Leticia's

[34:20] house. It had to come through a

[34:21] municipality, correct?

[34:23] >> So they chose the city of Williamsburg.

[34:24] » So they chose the city of Williamsburg.

[34:24] >> Right. Okay. Um, you know, absent have

[34:28] » Right. Okay. Um, you know, absent have

[34:28] having to provide any oversight um and

[34:31] or manage the funds, I think just simply

[34:33] acting as a conduit as a pass through uh

[34:36] is certainly fine for me.

[34:38] >> Yeah, I think I agree. I just curious

[34:41] » Yeah, I think I agree. I just curious

[34:41] about why they selected Williamsburg if

[34:44] it's located in James City County. If

[34:46] you have any insight into that.

[34:47] >> I I really don't. Uh we were kind of

[34:50] » I I really don't. Uh we were kind of

[34:50] curious too and our first request was to

[34:53] see if we could change that but we

[34:55] couldn't. Um but I will say that uh we

[34:59] and our human services director Wendy

[35:02] Evans worked with the state department

[35:05] of social services um to to get language

[35:08] that we felt comfortable with.

[35:11] >> I think Mr. Vice Mayor um just so the

[35:13] » I think Mr. Vice Mayor um just so the

[35:13] council knows I think the issue's been

[35:15] fixed. This will be a one-time thing.

[35:17] Um, I really think probably this was

[35:18] just an error by the general assembly. I

[35:20] mean, we're all familiar with the

[35:21] concept that a lot of people don't

[35:22] realize if they live in James City

[35:24] County or the city of Winssburg. I think

[35:26] that's what happened here. Um, but this

[35:27] is a one-time grant as far as I

[35:29] understand.

[35:30] >> Okay. Thank you.

[35:32] » Okay. Thank you.

[35:32] >> Yes. No questions. Thank you for the

[35:33] » Yes. No questions. Thank you for the

[35:33] clarification.

[35:35] >> I have no questions either.

[35:37] » I have no questions either.

[35:37] >> Yes. Thank you. No questions.

[35:39] » Yes. Thank you. No questions.

[35:39] >> Okay. Is there a motion? Thank you, Miss

[35:40] » Okay. Is there a motion? Thank you, Miss

[35:40] Damron.

[35:41] >> So, I move that city council adopt

[35:43] » So, I move that city council adopt

[35:43] resolution 26-01.

[35:46] Second,

[35:47] >> M.

[35:47] » M.

[35:47] >> Mccay.

[35:49] » Mccay.

[35:49] >> M.

[35:49] » M.

[35:49] >> Williams. I

[35:50] » Williams. I

[35:50] >> Miss Ramsey.

[35:51] » Miss Ramsey.

[35:51] >> Hi.

[35:51] » Hi.

[35:51] >> Mayor Ponds.

[35:52] » Mayor Ponds.

[35:52] >> Hi.

[35:52] » Hi.

[35:52] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[35:53] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[35:53] >> Hi.

[35:53] » Hi.

[35:53] >> Miss Kerner. Hi.

[35:55] » Miss Kerner. Hi.

[35:55] >> Okay. Item B is consideration and action

[35:57] » Okay. Item B is consideration and action

[35:57] regarding the canopy repairs and

[35:59] replacement to the columns located at

[36:01] the Williamsburg Transportation Center.

[36:03] Welcome back, Mr. Reid.

[36:05] >> Good afternoon. Um,

[36:09] » Good afternoon. Um,

[36:09] back in June, someone backed into one of

[36:13] the columns out front of the

[36:14] transportation center. We put it through

[36:18] insurance and um, got a quote, but

[36:22] further inspection revealed a lot of

[36:25] moisture damage. Um, and so we had a

[36:28] structural group come out and do a full

[36:30] inspection. And I have some pictures and

[36:33] they found a lot of um, rotten wood.

[36:36] that simply needs to be replaced. And so

[36:39] we had David, we asked David Nice to

[36:41] give us a quote on the repairs.

[36:45] Um they provided a quote. It's an

[36:46] emergency procurement and so we would

[36:49] like to move forward with the repairs.

[36:51] Um

[36:53] the cost is $263,700,

[36:56] but that does not include the original

[36:58] insurance claim. That one column was

[37:00] 40,000. Um, so the total cost of

[37:03] everything is just north of 300,000 and

[37:06] we will follow all ARB requirements in

[37:08] the repair.

[37:11] >> Um,

[37:13] » Um,

[37:13] I guess good and bad. Glad we were able

[37:15] to get some insurance money. I'm sorry

[37:17] somebody bumped back into the the

[37:20] columns. Um, it's good that we found the

[37:23] damage before it continued to get worse.

[37:25] Yes, sir. Will these repairs um to the

[37:28] structure internal to the canopy also

[37:31] include fixing the source of the leak on

[37:33] the roof?

[37:34] >> Yes, sir. Yeah. The flashing and

[37:39] » Yes, sir. Yeah. The flashing and

[37:40] you see the um the shingles there and

[37:41] the flashing. A lot of that is the issue

[37:43] and that'll be repaired.

[37:46] >> Thank you.

[37:48] » Thank you.

[37:48] Yeah, I mean obviously looking at the

[37:50] photos, um we don't have an option to to

[37:54] fix to fix the damage. Um I guess

[37:57] unfortunate as the mayor said that

[37:59] someone hit the column, but fortunate

[38:00] that they did at a time where we've been

[38:02] able to find this damage before it got

[38:04] any worse.

[38:08] » Yes, I spent some time reading this

[38:10] report and I learned a new use the word

[38:12] sistering. I did not know that that was

[38:14] a word. I I was like, "Huh, I learned

[38:16] something new." Uh, but no, I really do

[38:18] I it is one of those things where a good

[38:21] thing we found out about it before it

[38:22] got any worse. And noting that the um,

[38:26] you know, going forward, you know, they

[38:29] did note that, you know, routine

[38:30] maintenance would have caught this

[38:32] earlier. So, it kind of also is a

[38:34] reminder like, you know, keep keep an

[38:37] eye on things before they before they

[38:38] get this bad. So, I'm sure that that

[38:40] will happen going forward, too.

[38:43] I have no further comments. Uh thank you

[38:45] for the presentation and bringing this

[38:47] to our attention.

[38:49] >> Also have no further comments. Um you

[38:51] » Also have no further comments. Um you

[38:51] know looking at the pictures, it's

[38:52] definitely looks like something that um

[38:54] needs to be repaired. So thank you for

[38:56] the information today.

[38:58] >> Thank you.

[39:00] » Thank you.

[39:00] >> Maybe now you have 51 projects you have

[39:01] » Maybe now you have 51 projects you have

[39:01] to take.

[39:03] >> Is there a motion? So, I move that city

[39:06] » Is there a motion? So, I move that city

[39:06] council authorize the city manager to

[39:08] execute a purchase order authorizing

[39:11] David Nice Builders to perform the

[39:14] repairs on the transportation center for

[39:16] the not to exceed price of $263,700.

[39:21] » Second.

[39:22] >> Okay.

[39:24] » Okay.

[39:24] >> Miss Williams.

[39:24] » Miss Williams.

[39:24] >> I miss Ramsey.

[39:26] » I miss Ramsey.

[39:26] >> I Mayor Ponds.

[39:27] » I Mayor Ponds.

[39:27] >> Hi.

[39:27] » Hi.

[39:27] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[39:28] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[39:28] >> I miss Kernair.

[39:29] » I miss Kernair.

[39:29] >> I

[39:30] » I

[39:30] >> Okay. Item C under new business is

[39:32] » Okay. Item C under new business is

[39:32] consideration and action regarding

[39:33] tourism promotion contingency funds

[39:35] request from the uh Virginia Dossent

[39:38] Exchange, the Virginia Black Film

[39:40] Festival, and the Muscarelli Museum of

[39:42] Arts. Miss Gbala, welcome.

[39:44] >> Uh good afternoon uh and happy new year,

[39:46] » Uh good afternoon uh and happy new year,

[39:46] Mayor Ponds, members of city council. Uh

[39:49] today we'll be reviewing three tourism

[39:51] promotion contingency fund requests as

[39:52] you just mentioned. Um they are from the

[39:54] Virginia Dose Exchange, the Virginia

[39:55] Black Film Festival, and the Muscarelli

[39:57] Museum of Art. Uh, as a refresher, this

[40:00] program was adopted in 2015 and was

[40:02] designed to increase overnight

[40:03] visitation to the city by providing

[40:06] startup funding for new projects or

[40:08] funding to expand or enhance existing

[40:10] projects. It is not designed to provide

[40:12] year-over-year support for reoccurring

[40:13] projects. Examples of funded uh projects

[40:16] include the Oxford com conference in

[40:19] FY23, a feasibility study for an LPV in

[40:22] FY24 and in FY25. There was a VA1 VA

[40:27] 250s a common cause to all conference, a

[40:29] vendor payment processing system for

[40:31] Williamsburg downtown and the

[40:32] Michelangelo exhibit at the Muscarelli.

[40:35] Uh for this current fiscal year, the

[40:37] TPCF budget is $150,000, none of which

[40:40] has been expended so far.

[40:44] The next slide shows you a snapshot of

[40:46] the program through a monetary lens um

[40:48] with over half a million dollars being

[40:49] awarded to date for each year. The teal

[40:52] bars show the program budget. The yellow

[40:54] bars show the total funding requested

[40:57] and the peach bars uh show the total uh

[41:00] awarded funds. You'll note that last

[41:02] year was the first year since FY20 in

[41:04] which all funds were expended indicating

[41:06] a gradual recovery after the early COVID

[41:08] years.

[41:10] Well, uh, today you'll be considering

[41:12] three applications. The graph shows four

[41:15] applicants for FY26.

[41:17] One additional application was submitted

[41:19] after the deadline to be considered

[41:20] today, but uh, we were we were able to

[41:23] include it in the data for this slide.

[41:28] The first request uh, for review comes

[41:30] from the Virginia Dose and Exchange.

[41:33] They're requesting $8,610

[41:35] to support their conference taking place

[41:37] March 8th through 10th. This is a bi is

[41:39] a bianial conference that rotates its

[41:41] location throughout the state. This

[41:43] year's event is in the city and is being

[41:44] consider is being co-hosted by the art

[41:46] museums of cloning williamsburg and the

[41:48] muscarelli museum of art. Uh the first

[41:50] conference actually took place in 1990

[41:53] at the muscarelli.

[41:55] The event is expected to have 150 to 200

[41:57] attendees. Williamsburg as the host city

[42:00] has generated a lot of excitement and

[42:02] the conference planners are encouraging

[42:04] attendees to bring their families to

[42:06] experience the area while they're here.

[42:09] They are also placing a strong emphasis

[42:11] on the 250th commemoration and will

[42:13] feature two VA250 speakers. Other

[42:15] partners include Virginia Tourism

[42:17] Corporation, Greater Williamsburg

[42:18] Chamber of Commerce. Uh

[42:21] the total budget for this conference is

[42:23] $31,065.

[42:26] Once the application is submitted, um, a

[42:29] staff committee meets to review the

[42:31] request to make a recommendation. The

[42:33] staff recommendation for the Virginia

[42:35] Dose Exchange is to award full funding,

[42:37] um, of $8,610.

[42:42] The next request comes from the Virginia

[42:44] Black Film Festival. They are requesting

[42:46] $50,000 to support the event, which is

[42:48] taking place February 19th through 22nd

[42:50] at the Kimble Theater. This is the

[42:52] festival's third year, but the first

[42:54] year in Williamsburg. Previously, it was

[42:56] held in Hampton. Um, and I will note

[42:58] that the um event organizer prior to the

[43:01] Virginia Black Film Festival um spent 10

[43:04] years producing a film festival in

[43:06] Miami. So, he has uh experience.

[43:09] This year's theme for the Virginia Black

[43:11] Film Festival is uh Black Excellence,

[43:13] past, present, and future in celebration

[43:14] of Black History Month. The festival

[43:16] includes 15 events over four days with

[43:18] an ant anticipated total attendance of

[43:21] 3600. The schedule features guest

[43:23] speakers, screenings, celebrity guests,

[43:25] including actor Keith David, who will be

[43:28] receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award,

[43:29] and a Gala Award show, all designed to

[43:31] put black filmmakers and entrepreneurs

[43:33] in the forefront and accessible to the

[43:35] community and with each other. As with

[43:38] the Virginia Do Exchange, there is also

[43:39] a focus on the 250th commemoration,

[43:42] which will uh celebrate the essential

[43:44] role African-Americans played in the

[43:45] origin of this nation and the importance

[43:47] of telling those stories. The festival

[43:50] is being presented in partnership with

[43:52] Visit Williamsburg and with a total um

[43:54] budget for the event is uh $98,790.

[43:59] Staff recommends funding in the amount

[44:02] of $15,000 which is level with visit

[44:04] Williamsburg sponsorship.

[44:09] And the final request for review comes

[44:11] from the Muscarelli Museum. They are

[44:13] asking for $84,350

[44:15] in TPCF funding to support its abstract

[44:18] expressionists, the women exhibition,

[44:20] which opens later this month on January

[44:22] 23rd and runs through April 26th. The

[44:26] exhibit features nearly 50 works by 32

[44:28] pioneering women artists from their

[44:29] Christian Levit collection and is

[44:31] already garing garnering national

[44:33] attention as this is its East Coast

[44:35] debut.

[44:37] The funding request is specifically for

[44:39] marketing as outlined on the slide

[44:40] before you and includes paid

[44:42] advertising, public media sponsor

[44:44] sponsorships, and coverage in major

[44:46] publications. Last fiscal year, the

[44:48] Muskill received TP TPCF grant for the

[44:51] Michelangelo exhibit for just over

[44:53] $95,000.

[44:54] The total budget for the abstract

[44:56] expressionist exhibit is $262,895

[45:00] and staff uh recommends awarding funding

[45:03] in the amount of $25,000 which is the

[45:05] premier sponsorship level

[45:10] because these uh three because we have

[45:13] three funding requests today. Um here's

[45:15] a quick summary for your review. The

[45:18] yellow box on the right shows the FY26

[45:20] budget, the total dollar amount

[45:22] requested today. Okay. So, it does not

[45:24] include that fourth application and the

[45:26] sum of the staff recommendations. As a

[45:29] reminder, any unspent funds for the

[45:31] fiscal year do roll back into the TDF.

[45:34] Um, thank you. And at this time, I'm

[45:36] happy to answer any questions that you

[45:37] may have. I know we have at least two

[45:40] representatives. Oh, three. We have all

[45:41] three um applications represented today.

[45:44] Um, so if you have any questions that I

[45:46] cannot answer, I'm happy to bring them

[45:48] up.

[45:50] >> Well, well, thank you, Miss Corbala. Uh

[45:52] » Well, well, thank you, Miss Corbala. Uh

[45:52] just just as a reminder, you know,

[45:54] number of years ago, council

[45:57] um had the foresight to develop the

[45:59] tourism contingency fund for this exact

[46:02] type of purpose. We wanted to create

[46:04] opportunities that would um assist

[46:08] events come to Williamsburg to help

[46:10] offer unique opportunities for

[46:12] businesses to bring exhibits and and do

[46:15] various shows and and ultimately in an

[46:18] effort to drive overnight visitation,

[46:20] you know, to help um help the hotels,

[46:24] help the restaurants and just spending

[46:25] in Williamsburg. But as you can see from

[46:28] these uh events and some of the ones

[46:30] that we've supported in the past, they

[46:32] are great cultural activities for our

[46:34] residents to take place. And I I think

[46:36] back just to the Michelangelo exhibit

[46:38] that was here uh last year at the

[46:42] Muskerelli. I think that was met with

[46:44] with great fanfare and and I know lots

[46:46] of people here in the city were able to

[46:48] take advantage of that. So um I I fully

[46:51] support this and look forward to having

[46:53] having these three events in town.

[46:56] Mayor,

[46:56] >> thank you, Miss Corbal. And I agree. Um,

[46:59] » thank you, Miss Corbal. And I agree. Um,

[46:59] all three of these events fit exactly

[47:01] what council's intent was when this was

[47:04] developed. And I really appreciate the

[47:06] time that staff puts into reviewing

[47:08] these recommendation, these

[47:09] applications, and coming back with

[47:12] recommendations to council and look

[47:14] forward to all three of these events and

[47:15] and the people that they can attract to

[47:17] Williamsburg.

[47:20] >> Yes. Thank you. Uh, this is, you know,

[47:22] » Yes. Thank you. Uh, this is, you know,

[47:22] all wonderful. Yes. And thank you to you

[47:25] and your and your team for everything

[47:27] you've done. I did have a couple of

[47:29] questions. You said there's one

[47:30] additional application that's still is

[47:32] that in the the review stage, your all's

[47:35] review stage right now?

[47:36] >> Yes, it will be disseminated to the

[47:38] » Yes, it will be disseminated to the

[47:38] staff committee and then we'll meet pri

[47:39] and hopefully it'll be going before city

[47:41] council at the February.

[47:42] >> Okay. And then is it possible that even

[47:45] » Okay. And then is it possible that even

[47:45] more applications will come? Is there a

[47:46] hard deadline or is it a rolling

[47:49] application? as long as they meet the

[47:50] deadlines. I guess the final deadline

[47:52] would be late May to meet the June um

[47:56] city council meeting. But um but yes, as

[47:58] long as there is funding there, then

[48:00] anybody can apply.

[48:02] >> Great. Yeah. So that's that's good to

[48:03] » Great. Yeah. So that's that's good to

[48:03] know that you know these three that

[48:05] we're considering right now that that

[48:07] means there could be more events that we

[48:09] learn about that apply uh going forward

[48:11] before the end of the end of the fiscal

[48:13] year. So um that's exciting to think

[48:15] about as well. and I definitely think

[48:18] that what we have been presented with

[48:19] today are all excellent um to know that

[48:23] they're coming to town and happy to

[48:24] support them in this way.

[48:26] >> Thank you for the presentation. I too am

[48:29] » Thank you for the presentation. I too am

[48:29] pleased to support all of these. I think

[48:32] that the contingency fund, as the mayor

[48:34] has said, has really done its intent. uh

[48:38] not only has it brought different um

[48:42] events and helped us sponsor different

[48:44] events, but they've all been very

[48:46] diverse throughout the years. And I

[48:48] think this is um evident for this year,

[48:51] too. I think one thing we do want to

[48:54] keep in in mind is with 2026 being the

[48:58] 250th, there might be some surprise

[49:01] applications towards the end of the

[49:03] fiscal year. And so I think it's helpful

[49:05] to have some funding left in the fund uh

[49:09] for for anything that might come up. I

[49:12] also really appreciate the collaboration

[49:14] with other partners, particularly Visit

[49:16] Williamsburg, who's uh partnering on two

[49:20] of these, and I appreciate the staff's

[49:23] uh review and the way that you've

[49:26] approached these and and brought your

[49:28] results and recommendations to council.

[49:30] Thank you.

[49:33] Thank you for the presentation and I'm

[49:34] pleased to support all three projects as

[49:36] well, especially when we think about um

[49:39] fostering overnight visitation and um

[49:42] bringing in different conferences,

[49:44] events, and festivals to Williamsburg as

[49:46] well. So, thank you to you and your team

[49:48] um and your recommendations.

[49:51] >> Your motion. So, I move that city

[49:53] » Your motion. So, I move that city

[49:53] council award tourism promotion

[49:55] contingency fund grants to the Virginia

[49:58] Dose and Exchange in the amount of

[50:00] $8,610,

[50:02] the Virginia Black Film Festival in the

[50:05] amount of $15,000 at the director

[50:07] sponsorship level, and the Muscarelli

[50:10] Museum of Art in the amount of $25,000

[50:13] at the premier sponsor sponsorship

[50:15] level.

[50:16] >> Second,

[50:18] » Second,

[50:18] >> MC, would you call the RO?

[50:19] » MC, would you call the RO?

[50:19] >> Miss Williams.

[50:20] » Miss Williams.

[50:20] >> I miss Ramsey. Hi,

[50:21] » I miss Ramsey. Hi,

[50:21] >> Mayor Ponds.

[50:22] » Mayor Ponds.

[50:22] >> Hi,

[50:22] » Hi,

[50:22] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[50:23] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[50:23] >> Hi, Mr.

[50:24] » Hi, Mr.

[50:24] >> Kier. I

[50:25] » Kier. I

[50:25] >> thank you. Uh, takes us to item 10,

[50:28] » thank you. Uh, takes us to item 10,

[50:28] which is close session. And I believe we

[50:30] have close session today.

[50:31] >> We do. I move to go into close session

[50:34] » We do. I move to go into close session

[50:34] pursuant to section 2.2-3711

[50:36] of the Code of Virginia for the purpose

[50:38] of discussing one legal matter per

[50:40] subparagraph 8 for the purpose of

[50:42] consultation on specific legal matters

[50:45] requiring the provision of legal advice

[50:47] by council concerning ARB guidelines.

[50:50] Second.

[50:52] >> Okay.

[50:52] » Okay.

[50:52] >> Miss Williams.

[50:53] » Miss Williams.

[50:53] >> I,

[50:53] » I,

[50:53] >> Miss Ramsey. Hi,

[50:55] » Miss Ramsey. Hi,

[50:55] >> Mayor Pon. Hi,

[50:55] » Mayor Pon. Hi,

[50:56] >> Vice Mayor Dent. Hi,

[50:57] » Vice Mayor Dent. Hi,

[50:57] >> Miss Kernair. I

[50:58] » Miss Kernair. I

[50:58] >> Okay, we will go into close session and

[51:00] » Okay, we will go into close session and

[51:00] reconvene thereafter and

[51:04] go from there. Thank you.

[2:24:59] Miss McCay,

[2:25:00] >> Miss Williams,

[2:25:01] » Miss Williams,

[2:25:01] >> I.

[2:25:01] » I.

[2:25:01] >> Miss Ramsey,

[2:25:02] » Miss Ramsey,

[2:25:02] >> hi.

[2:25:02] » hi.

[2:25:02] >> Mayor Ponds.

[2:25:03] » Mayor Ponds.

[2:25:03] >> Hi.

[2:25:03] » Hi.

[2:25:03] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[2:25:04] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[2:25:04] >> Hi.

[2:25:04] » Hi.

[2:25:04] >> Miss Kerner.

[2:25:05] » Miss Kerner.

[2:25:05] >> I.

[2:25:06] » I.

[2:25:06] >> Okay. Nothing else. Is there a motion to

[2:25:07] » Okay. Nothing else. Is there a motion to

[2:25:07] adjurnn?

[2:25:08] >> I move that we adjourn.

[2:25:11] » I move that we adjourn.

[2:25:11] >> Second.

[2:25:13] » Second.

[2:25:13] >> M. Pay.

[2:25:14] » M. Pay.

[2:25:14] >> Miss. Williams.

[2:25:14] » Miss. Williams.

[2:25:14] >> I.

[2:25:15] » I.

[2:25:15] >> Miss. Ramsey.

[2:25:15] » Miss. Ramsey.

[2:25:16] >> Hi.

[2:25:16] » Hi.

[2:25:16] >> Mayor Pond.

[2:25:16] » Mayor Pond.

[2:25:16] >> Hi.

[2:25:17] » Hi.

[2:25:17] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[2:25:17] » Vice Mayor Dent.

[2:25:18] >> Hi.

[2:25:18] » Hi.

[2:25:18] >> M. Kier. I

[2:25:20] » M. Kier. I

[2:25:20] >> we are journ. Thank you all.

City Council - Jan 08 2026

Transcript