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Carries. All right. That concludes our city council closed session meeting. The

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meeting is adjourned. Next, we roll on to our 5:00 regular scheduled city council meeting.

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good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining us. And at this time is hill, would you please

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call the roll? Yes. Council member cuthbert here. Council member. Jones here. Council

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member. Myers here. Council member. Westbrook. Present. Council member. Smith. Lee present. Vice mayor. Hill here. Mayor. Here. So you have a quorum. Next, vice mayor hill

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will lead us in our opening prayer. Let us pray. Eternal god, our father, once again, we

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come before you. First of all, before we ask for you for anything, we would like to

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thank you for everything. Lord, we ask that blessings upon this meeting in a special way,

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heavenly father, that you would give us wisdom on how heavenly father to help lead our city to

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higher heights. Heavenly father, we thank you for all the progress that we've made thus

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far. We ask that blessing upon all of our citizens. Heavenly father, we ask that you will

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protect us and keep us. Lord, be with our first responders, our firefighters, our ems, our

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police officers. Lord, we ask a special blessing upon our citizens, those who are afraid.

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heavenly father, situations that are going on all around us. Heavenly father that we have no

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control over. Lord, we ask that you will be with us. Guide and protect us. Lord, we ask a

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special blessing upon this council. Heavenly father, as we lead these thou your people,

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heavenly father, to higher heights and deeper depths in you, where special blessing

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upon our city manager as he helped to get plans together. Heavenly father, to take us to

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that next level. Be with all staff and all those employees. Heavenly father, be with us

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during this upcoming snow time. Heavenly father, where we may be experiencing some weather.

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if we don't have to leave our heavenly father, let us have everything we need in our homes.

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keep us and guide us. Forgive us of our sins. It's in your darling son jesus name. We pray

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and we thank you. Amen, amen. Next is item three, the pledge of allegiance. Can everyone

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stand and join us in the pledge? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america

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and to the republic for which it stands? One nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and

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justice for all. Excuse. Item four determination of the presence of a quorum. We do

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have a quorum. Next is proclamations, recognitions, presentations of ceremonial

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proclamations. We have none for this evening. Item six responses to previous public

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information is posted under council communicates. Item seven approval of the consent

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agenda to include minutes of previous meetings. January 6th, 2026 city council closed

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session minutes. January 6th, 2026 city council work session minutes. Councilman. Myers so

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moved. Alright. Councilman westbrook second. All right. Miss hill, would you please

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call the roll council member cuthbert? Aye. Council member. Jones. Aye. Council member.

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myers. Council member. Westbrook. Aye. Council member. Smith. Aye. Vice mayor. Hill.

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aye. Mayor I. Motion carries. Next is item eight. Presentations. We have item a

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presentation of the 2025 annual comprehensive financial report. Mr. David foley. Robinson,

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farmer and cox. The one sheet. A one sheeter. Good evening. Hold up. I think your mic is

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not on. Garrett is on there. Do a test. Is that better? Yeah. Okay. All right. Good evening.

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thank you all for having me here again. My name is david foley. I'm a partner with

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robinson farmer cox associates and was the partner in charge of the city's fy 25 audit. And

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we have issued a draft of the city's annual comprehensive financial report. And here to

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present the results of that to you all. Before I get into the report itself, just a brief

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overview of the audit that we do for the city. Really, there's three main pieces to

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the audit that we do when we're doing the audit of the financial statements. One is,

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you know, we audit the city's financial statements to make sure that those financial

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statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

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the other two pieces of the audit, we do in accordance with government auditing standards,

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one of which is in addition to just look, auditing the financial statement numbers

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themselves, we we review and gain an understanding of the city's internal controls that

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it has over its financial reporting. We review these for the purposes of designing our

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audit procedures. And then in certain cases, we'll we'll test these controls to see if

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they're operating as they should. And then the third is the federal compliance piece.

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anytime a locality expends over 750 in federal grant funds, you have a single audit just

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included with the financial statement audit. So as part of the audit, omb provides a

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compliance supplement with a list of various compliance requirements that the city has

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to comply with when it's expanded its federal grant programs. So, again, as part of

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that audit, we go through that checklist and make sure that the city is complying with

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those federal requirements. So as such, included in the annual comprehensive financial report,

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there's three different reports from us that communicate the results of the audit. The first

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report from us is towards the front of the report. It's on numbered page ten. And this is

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our independent auditor's report. And in this report where we state we did perform

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an audit on the city's financial statements and is also where we issue our opinion

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on the financial statements and our opinions included in the second paragraph of this report.

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and we have issued an unmodified opinion on the city's financial statements,

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which is the cleanest opinion and auditor can give on the set of financial statements.

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basically, an unmodified opinion means that the city's financial statements have been

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prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The other two

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reports from us are on the back of the report. But before I get to those, I would just like to

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highlight a few items in the financial statements that are towards the front of the the

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report. So on page 24, exhibit three is a balance sheet for the city's governmental funds.

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and the balance sheet reports assets, liabilities and fund balance for the various

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governmental funds that the city has. So there's various columns for those different

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funds. The first column is the general fund, which is the city's main operating fund. So

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at the end of the fiscal year, the city had in the general fund 79.5 million in assets,

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compared to about 15 million in liabilities and deferred inflows. And then towards the

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bottom of the statement is the fund balance at the end of the fiscal year. So, as we can see,

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total total fund balance for the city's general fund was 65.4 million. And then that

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fund balance is then further broken down between non non spendable restricted committed

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and then unassigned. So the city's unassigned fund balance at the end of the fiscal year

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was 59.4 million, which was an increase of about 8.5 million during the fiscal year. The

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other financial statement I'd like to highlight is the next page over on page 25. This is

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exhibit four. This is a statement of revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balance for the city's governmental funds. Again, this this statement shows the

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revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balance. Again, for the various governmental

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funds. The city has again multiple columns on this statement. The first column

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again is the general fund. So total total revenues for the city's general fund was 106.6

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million, compared to total expenditures of 95.4, and then had transfers out to other

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funds of 2.5 million. So we can see down towards the bottom the net change in fund balance was

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8.6 million for the city's general fund. Those are the financial statements I'd like

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to point out. And then just to go over the other two reports from us, again, those are in

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the back of the report. So the first report is from us back there is on page 156. And this

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is our report over the city's internal control over financial reporting. In this report, we

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saw significant improvement from last year on the city's internal control over financial

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reporting. And the prior year, we had 11 findings that were reported as material weaknesses.

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a lot of those findings have been corrected during the fiscal year. So this year we

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were down to only having four findings for material weaknesses in the city's

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internal control. So the city and one fiscal year went from 11 fundings down to four. And

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the details of those findings are a few pages back in in the report. These findings mostly

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dealt with reconciliation of subsidiary ledgers on a monthly basis to the general ledger

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regarding utility. Fees and also property taxes. And then there was a an additional

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finding related to reconciling cash in the treasurer's accountability fund. Back to

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the cash that are reported in the funds. And then the the fourth finding was related to

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as part of the audit, we had to propose material audit adjustments to the city's

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financial report. But again, there were the details of those findings are in the back. And

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again, significant improvement this year from the city, going from 11 findings down to four.

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and then the third and final report from us is over two pages over on page 158. This is

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our report over the city's compliance with its major federal grant programs. This

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report was cleaned. No significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in this

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city's compliance with its major federal grant programs. And again, no items of

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noncompliance were noted as part of the audit. So this this report was clean, but that's

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all I have. But be happy to answer any questions you may have. Okay. Thank you for the

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presentation, mr. Foley. That's good news. I want to thank the finance team for for getting

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those findings down. It was huge to reduce those to under half of what we had. So now we

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can work on the last four. I think one of the big ones I guess I'll go to the city

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manager is what can we do to fix the listing of water and sewer customer deposits? And

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the other one was in utility billing reconciliation. Do we have a plan on how to fix that?

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so first, like you, mr. Mayor, I'd like to thank our finance team, our commissioner, revenue

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and our treasurer for all the hard work we we set out with an ambitious goal to getting rid

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of all 11 for the in the one year, getting seven of the 11 done down to four I think was a

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pretty good, good task. I know the finance director, our mr. Klaus glaster, has already

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begun working on plans to address these four. So next year when we when we have mr.

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foley standing here next year, hopefully we will have no findings. And we're working right now with not only just within finance, but with our treasurer and our commissioner

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revenue to address any of those, those pieces that we need to do. So we're working on we're

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already working on a plan for, for the upcoming year to address those items. And hopefully, like I said, with the 26 audit, hopefully we will see zero findings. So but I do

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want to thank them for all their hard work. Okay. Thank you, councilman cooper. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Mr. City manager, would you present council and the public with the

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plan to address these four findings? Once that plan is put together? Yes, sir. We can

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certainly present that to council. Times would be needed to to put that plan together. I

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think if you gave us to to have it, we could come back in march, say, at your work session in

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march and present. That would be great. And if I may, mr. Foley, welcome. Thank you.

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thank you for being with us. And thank you for helping us. I'm always curious as to which

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direction our past due accounts receivable are going in and what is the size of them. I

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know our largest revenue stream is real estate tax revenue, and I don't know if it's in the $35

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million range, something like that. What is the current amount of past due real estate

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taxes, and how does that compare to this point in time? A year ago, I know they're down.

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total property taxes receivable were down this year compared to the previous year. Total

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property taxes outstanding was 11.3 million. Now that includes real estate and personal

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property. What page can I find that on, or can the public find that on page page 24, page 24,

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exhibit three. Those are the taxes receivable, which is 11.3 million. So if I ma

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cuthbert, in anticipation of this question, because you ask it every year, we've already

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I've already asked mr. Glasner and company to try to break down that number for you, and

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we can bring that back. Maybe we bring that back for you at the march meeting. When we

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present the plan, we also present that breakdown of the the taxes. That would be great

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and I'd appreciate it. And I know the public will appreciate it as well, because the public

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wants to stay informed as to whether the city is really doing his job in collecting

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taxes on the audit, because the more taxes we collect, then the less we have to ask the people

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to pay. And if it's if it's utility taxes, then we won't have to jack up the utility

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bills as much as if we can get a handle on the past due utility bills. And so it goes.

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the same is true with real estate taxes. The same is true with the the hated car tax. You

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know, if we can get that hated car tax down, we can collect more of it. Then maybe we can

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reduce the hated car tax. I'd love to see it. I know everybody on council would love

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to see that happen, but there is no free lunch up here. And we got to balance the budget.

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and so that's the other tent pulling at us. But certainly a major tension is getting those

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past few counts down. So if, if you could bring us that information, mr. City manager

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at our march work session and let us know what the plan is to bring those past due taxes down

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even further, what they are currently, what they were 12 months ago, that would be

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really helpful information. Let us see whether we're moving in the right direction, whether

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there's anything more we can do to accelerate the pace in the right direction. Because

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ultimately we want to supply services to the public at the least cost to the public. Thank

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you very much. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you so much for

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your presentation, mr. Foley. And again, thank our staff for for getting our ordered in on

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time this year. So it's definitely is moving in the right direction. All right.

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thank you all. Thanks for having me. Thank you. Next move on to item eight b which is

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potential refunding opportunity with davenport. Mr. Rose good evening. Good evening, mr.

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mayor. I've got some hard copies in case anyone needs that. So. All right. All right.

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well happy new year to you all. Happy new year. Good to be here. I will be brief. We've got some

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potentially good information. Great to share. Thank you. All right. All. Good again. So

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mayor members of council david rose from davenport. And again it's it's part of the reason

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we're here tonight is because of what I just listened to, what you just received, which

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was an excellent report as it relates to your 2025 audit. And that's important. I was also

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here the the days and times in which the audits were on the late side. And your city

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manager said, we're going to get those up to date on time. And indeed, he's delivered that.

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so all of this allows me to come tonight and talk to you about an opportunity that's

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simply about saving some money. Think of it this way. It's you're fortunate to have a

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mortgage. An interest rate on your mortgage is, say, 6%. We're talking about trying to

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get it to 5%. We're not talking about extending any of the payments. We're just simply

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trying to change one interest rate for a lower interest rate. And what we're asking tonight

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is your ability to let us move forward. No formal action will be taken tonight, but rather

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we'd like to see some guidance from the council about moving forward and putting some things

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together. And then I'll show you a schedule a little bit later. The last bullet point

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here is this you have strong credit ratings. Part of the reason you have those strong

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credit ratings is you have an excellent unassigned fund balance, which is that rainy

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day fund that when I first started working with you, was that a -$7 million? And as you

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just saw right now, that is to use the to use david's comment is now at almost 50, almost $60

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million. Very, very impressive. I want to add, by the way, for all the citizens that think if

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that money is sitting there, this is an important point, that money is earning interest,

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and that interest is basically helping to keep your tax rate down. That money is going right

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back into your general fund and is being able to be used. So it is not by any means sitting

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idly. And on top of that, that money is part and a very strong reason why your credit ratings

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have moved up consistently over the last 7 or 8 years. So with all of that, this is the

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potential refunding opportunity. It's about $5.5 million of debt outstanding, and interest rates

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range from 3% to 5%. The important thing is that it is all now callable. That means we

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can exchange that without a penalty. And so the reasons we can do that have to do with

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federal tax law. I'm delighted that my good friend and your bond counsel, dan siegel, is

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behind me. He's going to be here tonight for asking you to approve deq loan. Unrelated to

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this, but the point here is that we are now in a mode where we can again call this in and

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see if we can exchange it for lower interest rates. So we're going to recommend with your

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blessing what we call a dual track process. We're going to look at applying to the

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virginia resource authority. They have a spring pool. That means that they do a borrowing

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roughly 2 or 3 times a year. But we're also going to look directly to banks. And that's a

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direct bank loan. There was a time when no banks would lend to us. As you know, the last

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time we put this out, we had nine different banking institutions offering to help

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us. So we think we're going to get some very good responses. At the same time, we're going

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to compare that to what could potentially be a pool program. And if it meets criteria. And

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I'll talk about that in a minute, then we're going to recommend moving forward. If it

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doesn't meet the criteria, the city council is not going to be at risk for any dollars

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financially. This is really just something that I enjoy giving presentations on because

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there's only upside for us. There is no downside. So just to give you a sense of the

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market, this roughly 5.4 million of bonds has an average interest rate of 4.3%. We would

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look to right now all in changing that from 4.3 down to a fixed rate, all in of 3.7.

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that's a little over $300,000 of net savings. And the important thing here is it has

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got what we call a present value savings percent of close to 5%. Industry standards say

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that anything above 3% is considered a best practices refunding approach. And so

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again, if we do that, we get those results. We'll recommend moving forward. If it's under

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that 3%, we will recommend holding off and living for another day. If you would. No

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harm, no foul doing that. But again, that's where we are. If interest rates go up 25 basis

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points, we get to about that 3%. If they get better by 25 basis points, we get better by almost

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two percentage points. It's a very, very sensitive refunding. But we will importantly have

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some known results from the banks fixed rate results from the banks. If we don't like it

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again, we won't recommend moving forward. And if we decide to look at this vre

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approach, we'll tell them they have to be a certain minimum. So again, I know it sounds a

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little confusing, but I do think it's important that we only move forward if the

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marketplace gives us what we want. We meaning the city. So last page, the schedule. Here I

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am tonight on the 20th, asking you to consider this again, not a formal action, but informally.

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if you feel good about it, we'll put out a request to banks as early as tomorrow.

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we've already worked with with mr. Siegel and his firm to make sure it meets all the legal

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parameters. We would also put an application in to vre due on february 6th. Get those

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responses back from the banks. On or about february 10th. You have a meeting on the 17th of

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february, either myself or roland koch, who you know well would be here giving you those

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results. And again, if indeed we move forward, we would then look for some actions. But

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there's no public hearing required because we're not issuing any new debt. We're

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simply replacing existing debt from a higher interest rate to a lower interest rate. If we

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decide to pass on the banks, we can then move forward. The banks. We see this bond sale by

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vre happening at the end of april. So it's a ways off. And if that meets our parameters,

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we would close with vre on or about may 12th. So with that happy to answer any questions.

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I don't know if the city manager wants to answer add anything to that, but that's

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really all I have tonight. Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for the presentation. Mr. Rhodes.

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quick question here. We're trying to move down from the 4.3, and I see we have here a

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3.7. Do you think there's any way we can get that down to like a 3.5. Well again it's

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going to be up to the the marketplace. I will tell you today was not a good day. So we

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were going the other way today. But hopefully we'll see what happens in the course of the

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next few weeks. But it's competitively done. So when you ask 3.5 it's the overall

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marketplace. It's different banks bidding against each other. So we don't control that.

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obviously we're your advisor so we don't bid on this at all. We review the bids and we'll give

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you the recommendation of what's best. Perfect. All right. Mr. Altman, I think one, we

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want to thank mr. Rose and davenport for bringing this opportunity to us to always

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enjoy an opportunity to save a little bit of money. If council is of a mind, we'd appreciate

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if you would allow us to at least move forward and explore this opportunity to see if it

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is something that would come to fruition, will allow us to save some funding. Every penny

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counts and every penny helps. So we from an administrative perspective, we would like to

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move forward. If council has any questions for mr. Rose, I'd be happy to answer them and

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we'd hope you would support the request. All right, vice mayor. Mr. Mayor, if I'm in order, I'd

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like to make a motion that we authorize davenport, along with the city manager, to enter into

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the dual track process and report back to the city at the earliest convenience time when

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they have any information. Okay, councilwoman smith lee, a second. We have a motion and a

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second, any discussion on the motion? Seeing none. Miss hill, please call the roll. Council

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member. Cuthbert. Aye. Council member. Jones. Aye. Council member. Myers. Council member.

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westbrook. Aye. Council member. Smith. Lee. I. Vice mayor. Hill. Aye. Mayor. Aye. Motion carries.

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all right. Thank you so much, miss rose. Looking forward to seeing where those numbers lead

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us in the next couple of weeks. We'll see it again. And one more thing. Let's assume that

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if rates go against us, meaning they go above us again, we always have that ability to

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come back. We're not going to lose that opportunity. I think that's important. So again,

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it's in play and let's hope it it moves in the right direction. I've had instances working with

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with mr. Siegel where it moves against us. And then by the end of the year it's come the other

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way. And as long as we have your authorization, we're able to move quickly. So we appreciate that. All right. Thank you so much, mr. Rose. Mr. Siegel, always good seeing

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you. Thank you so much for all you do to to assist us in moving the financial needle

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here in petersburg the last ten, ten years. So we've made some leaps and bounds. And I thank

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you all for for your outstanding service to the city of petersburg. Okay. Next is

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item nine, official public hearings item a, a public hearing for consideration of an

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amendment to the fy 26 petersburg city public schools budget. Good evening. Gary.

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budget manager. This item is a request from schools to carry forward some encumbrances that

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went unspent at the end of last fiscal year. So they are requesting to amend their

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budget and carry forward those encumbrances from the previous fiscal year in the amount of

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$2,977,123.61. Okay. Okay. This is the public hearing. So I'm gonna open up the floor first

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for the public hearing. Then I have discussion from members of council at this floor. The

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floor is open now for anyone who wants to open up and comment on the public hearing

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for consideration of an amendment to the fy 26 petersburg city public schools

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budget. Miss rudolph, good evening. Good evening. Thank you mayor. Good evening. Barb

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rudolph, 1675 mount vernon street. Question about this. I believe that the money, the

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carry forward money is supposed to be earmarked for capital projects in the schools. I

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didn't know if that was still in effect or if that had been wiped out with the field house

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deal dealing that went on anyway. It's obviously it's important to appropriate this

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money for the schools, but I just wondered if it how it related to that process that

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was passed by you several years ago. Thank you, thank you. All right. Seeing no hands, this

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public hearing is now closed. Do you want to address that, mr. Williams? I believe the

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resolution that miss. That that she was our speaker was referring to was rescinded a

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year or two back, maybe a year ago. But there has been some discussion amongst council, as

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I recall, of requiring the city to report on the nine categories that they're going

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to use expenditures for as a requirement for carryover. Council hasn't made a

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definitive decision on requiring that yet, but I was hoping that someone from the

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school board or the schools would be here to provide that information to council, but I

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don't think they are. Okay. Next, we have discussion from members of city council.

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councilman jones. Thank you, mr. Mayor, and thank everybody for being here. Is there

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anybody here from the school system? You say $2 million, 2.92.92.9 that they want to

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carry over? Yes. It was appropriated last year. It went unspent. And they're asking to

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carry it over to this. Is that the 2 million that we voted to give them last year? That's

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just the 2 million that they didn't spend. Yeah. So the total budget, right. It was

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committed for whatever purpose and for whatever reason, it went unspent by the end of the

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year. Well, marlo, can I jump in real quick? Make sure you say 2.90 closer to three than

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it is to 22. 9 million. Thank you for that. I'm having difficulties. When people say

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we're not providing for our school system, it's clearly that we are. Now, if you give

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me $2.9 million, I guarantee you I'll spend it quick so I can ask for more. Now. School

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system. If you're watching and I know you are, I told you over and over to spend this money.

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our kids deserve the best. You don't need to be pitching anything. There's a lot of

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capital improvements like miss rudolph said, that need to be worked on your locker rooms.

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number one, technology. Number two, if you don't start spending this money, we're

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going to figure out a way to make you spend it on our watch, how we want to spend it. But

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you got the opportunity to spend this money. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to the school system. Who's watching? I'm tired of y'all not spending money that the

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citizens are paying you. It's not our money. It's the citizens money. And $2.9

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million. You can't find anything in your city, in your school system to fix. All of

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the schools are raggedy. Every last one of them. So my message to this school says I'm all for

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letting them take it for it. But I want to make sure that this money is being spent on

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infrastructure of the school systems, on the buildings, on every school should get a

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portion of this $2.9 million. As robert lee, I know it's not called robert e lee right now,

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but all of the schools, you know, we get ready to build a new school and we got $2.9

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million. I don't want to take it from the kids, everybody. I want them to have it. But

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somebody's got to get the spending. Thank you. Okay. All right, mr. Altman, so my

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comment would be in response to councilor jones's question and question and comment. Probably

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the only way that you'll be able to assure that they're spending it on infrastructure would be to ask them to come and present a list of how they're going to spend the

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money. Traditionally, funding at the end of the year under state statute is supposed to be

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returned to the city, and then we can do with it what we want. We can put it to our fund

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balance, or we could re-appropriate it. Schools have the ability to come and request them to be carried forward, or reappropriated what you could do tonight, you've conducted

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your public hearing. You could table the matter and ask the schools to provide a list of

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what they're going to use the funds for, and then come to the february meeting and present

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that to council. All right, councilman jones, mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to

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table this until we can get the school system to let us know what they're going to spend

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this money on. And I really want to know why they haven't spent it. All right, councilman

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cooper, I second the motion. We have a motion. And second, any discussion on the motion

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discussion? Not on the motion, but just on a question. Do we still have our categorical

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funding in place or. I know we took that out some time ago. Yes, sir. Okay. That's

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something that we probably need to put back in place after we get past this right here.

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categorical funding that we know we do not. You're correct, mr. Vice mayor. We do not

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budget categorically. Okay. So that's something we need to look at. Moving forward is a

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good, I guess, a good problem to have if you if it's not like we $2.9 million short. But I'm

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in favor of the motion. Okay. All right, miss hill. Could you please call the roll council

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member cuthbert here. Council member. Excuse me. Council member. Jones, with the

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deadline on getting back with us by the next work session. The next session, I would just

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say the next council, the second meeting in february. So you can take action the 17th

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with miss clark, if you can add that to it with with that deadline so we can get it going.

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council member. Myers. Council member. Westbrook. Council member. Smith. Vice mayor I

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mayor I motion next is item 9ba public hearing for consideration of an amendment

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to the fy 26 grants fund. Mr. Cozier okay. So this item we have a few grants that we have.

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next page please. We have a few grants that we have coming into the city. All these grants are

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fully funded and there is no match required. Item b please. Public hearing. All right. You

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got it. Okay. Waiting for the changeover. Yeah. Could you hit page 26 9b9b. So the public

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hearing would be to amend the, the grants fund by $989,643. Yes, that is correct. It is

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several grants. So we have two grants for the petersburg bureau of police from the

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virginia department of criminal justice services. We have a grant from the virginia

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department of social services for the petersburg department of social services. There is

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also another one for petersburg fire, rescue and emergency services from the virginia

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department of fire programs, and then a donation for blandford church and museum. So

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totaling across all of them is, like you said, $989,643. Yeah, there we go. All right. So I'll

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open the floor now for the public hearing for consideration of the amendment to the fy 26 grants fund. Saying no hands. This public hearing is now closed. Next,

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councilman jones. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Quick question. Are these grants federal grants? No.

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they look to all be state grants, a grant from the virginia department of criminal

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justice, virginia department of social services, virginia fire programs, and a donation was

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received $50,000 for blanford church museum. Yeah, they're all state agencies. I thought

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you said something about the police, too. Yeah. So this is from the virginia department of criminal justice services. So, yeah. State agency. It was all state. That's all I got. Thank

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you. Okay. Vice mayor hill, I move that we receive the grants. Councilwoman smith second. All

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right, that is a motion to approve the fy 26 grants fund is here. Would you please call

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the roll council member cuthbert? Aye. Council member. Jones. Aye. Council member.

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myers. Council member. Westbrook. Aye. Council member. Smith. Lee. Vice mayor. Hill.

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aye. Mayor a motion. Next is item nine. C a public hearing for consideration of a

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resolution authorizing the attention of the petersburg city council to authorize the

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issuance of, not to exceed $21,462,462. Principal amount of general obligation water and

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sewer revenue bonds for the purpose of financing improvements to the city's

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public sewer system. Facilities virginia resources authority clean water revolving loan fund.

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mr. Mayor, members of council, we have mr. Siegel and mr. Rose here this evening. This vre

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loan was something that we kind of included in our conversations as part when we

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went forward with the loan and the rate increases for water and sewer. The loan is for the

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21.4 or $21.5 million at. Correct me if I'm wrong, gentlemen, a half a percent interest. Well, the total is 1%. It's a half percent. And then they add various fees. So it

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it's a it's a big number. It's 1% but it's 1% interest loan. It's a great deal which we will

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use these these funds to further our improvements to the poor creek watershed. Water

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wastewater waste water, water improvements along fort creek okay. All right. That's pretty

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much self-explanatory. Anything you want to add, mr. Siegel? Just that you have the

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resolution before you. It's been commented by by virginia resources authority council. It

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provides for the total amount of the 21,000,462, 462, but 20 of the 20,000,004, 4400 is the

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loan at the 1%. But in addition, you get a what they call a principal forgiveness loan,

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which is pretty much a grant of over $1 million, 1,022,000. So altogether that total is 21.

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but the the actual borrowing amount is the 20 million. And it's a general obligation bond

379
00:42:57,058 --> 00:42:57,058
and a revenue bond. So it's got both. But I'll be glad to answer questions. And I know

380
00:43:02,864 --> 00:43:02,864
that you've got the public hearing. Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next I'll open

381
00:43:06,868 --> 00:43:06,868
up the floor for the public hearing for any comments on the approval of the resolution.

382
00:43:13,509 --> 00:43:13,509
funding from the virginia water facilities revolving fund. Seeing no hands. This public

383
00:43:23,552 --> 00:43:23,552
hearing is now closed. Next. Councilman cooper, I move that we adopt the ordinance as

384
00:43:28,557 --> 00:43:28,557
proposed. All right, vice mayor hill, second, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

385
00:43:36,799 --> 00:43:36,799
seeing none. Miss hill, could you please call the roll? Council member cuthbert? Aye.

386
00:43:43,039 --> 00:43:43,039
council member. Jones. Aye. Council member. Myers. Aye. Council member. Westbrook. Aye.

387
00:43:47,643 --> 00:43:47,643
council member. Smith. Aye. Vice mayor. Hill. Aye. Mayor. Para. Aye. That motion carries.

388
00:43:54,150 --> 00:43:54,150
all right. Next item d has been stricken from tonight's agenda. It will be going back to the

389
00:44:00,890 --> 00:44:00,890
eda for further consideration. Next we move on to item e, which is a public hearing for

390
00:44:10,166 --> 00:44:10,166
consideration of an ordinance to authorize the execution of a deed of easement at 3101

391
00:44:16,272 --> 00:44:16,272
johnson road. Mr. Altman. Mr. Mayor, members of council this evening we have for your

392
00:44:24,247 --> 00:44:24,247
consideration the request to authorize me to execute an easement agreement for 3101

393
00:44:32,489 --> 00:44:32,489
johnson road. This is the easement that's necessary from dominion power to provide to

394
00:44:37,961 --> 00:44:37,961
get power to the sports training facility that's under construction on johnson road.

395
00:44:43,267 --> 00:44:43,267
without the easement, we won't be able to deliver power, permanent power. So this

396
00:44:47,704 --> 00:44:47,704
evening, we would request that authorization, approval of authorization to allow me to

397
00:44:51,975 --> 00:44:51,975
execute the easement for 3101 johnson road. Any questions? I'd be happy to answer them.

398
00:44:58,081 --> 00:44:58,081
thank you so much. Next, this is the public hearing for consideration of an ordinance

399
00:45:02,086 --> 00:45:02,086
to authorize the execution of the deed of easement for power at 3101 johnson road, okay.

400
00:45:11,728 --> 00:45:11,728
seeing no hands, this public hearing is now closed. Vice mayor hill, I move that we

401
00:45:18,269 --> 00:45:18,269
approve the ordinance authorizing the execution of the deed at 3101 johnson road.

402
00:45:25,008 --> 00:45:25,008
councilwoman smith lee, second with a motion a second. Miss hill, could you please call the

403
00:45:29,747 --> 00:45:29,747
roll council member? Cuthbert? Aye. Council member. Jones. Aye. Council member. Myers. Council

404
00:45:35,186 --> 00:45:35,186
member. Westbrook. Aye. Council member. Lee. Aye. Vice mayor. Hill. Aye. Mayor a motion

405
00:45:40,924 --> 00:45:40,924
carries. Next is item ten. Public information period a public information period,

406
00:45:44,929 --> 00:45:44,929
limited in time to 30 minutes, shall be a part of an order of business. At each regular

407
00:45:49,266 --> 00:45:49,266
council meeting. Each speaker shall be a resident or business owner of the city, and shall be

408
00:45:54,205 --> 00:45:54,205
limited to three minutes. No speaker will be permitted to speak on any item scheduled for

409
00:45:59,310 --> 00:46:03,248
consideration on the regular docket of the meeting at which the speakers to speak. The order of speakers is limited by the 30 minute time period, shall be determined as follows

410
00:46:08,019 --> 00:46:08,019
a first in chronological order of the notice. Persons who have notified the clerk no later

411
00:46:12,323 --> 00:46:12,323
than 12:00 noon of the day of the meeting. B second, in chronological order of their

412
00:46:17,662 --> 00:46:17,662
sign up. Persons who have signed a sign up sheet placed by the clerk in the rear of the

413
00:46:21,867 --> 00:46:21,867
meeting room prior to the meeting, removed from the consent agenda. All right.

414
00:46:27,272 --> 00:46:27,272
we'll start off with mr. Ajani sekou. Good evening. Good evening. Ajani sekou, 27 south

415
00:46:40,585 --> 00:46:40,585
sycamore street. First of good stuff. February 13th. I'd like to invite each and every last

416
00:46:47,092 --> 00:46:47,092
one of you to the opening of the gateway arts center at 27 south sycamore street. We have

417
00:46:54,232 --> 00:46:54,232
10,000ft■s. We're about to launh a brand new arts center here for the city of petersburg. So

418
00:47:00,138 --> 00:47:00,138
I hope to see all of you there. We have a ribbon cutting ceremony. It's being sent your

419
00:47:04,743 --> 00:47:04,743
way. And now this may take a little bit longer than two minutes. Okay. See, I didn't

420
00:47:08,881 --> 00:47:08,881
descend into hell like dante, but I did show up to a city council meeting. This is

421
00:47:16,655 --> 00:47:16,655
petersburg. Seven wards, seven seats, seven circles. But the same cycle. The first circle is

422
00:47:27,867 --> 00:47:27,867
pride. It sits at the dais of microphones, polished, titles memorized. Mr. Mayor, mr. Vice

423
00:47:35,408 --> 00:47:35,408
mayor, everybody is important except for the people at the public comments. With three

424
00:47:40,546 --> 00:47:40,546
minutes and shaking voices, pride looks like leadership that talks at a city instead of

425
00:47:48,687 --> 00:47:48,687
with a city. Second circle is greed. Economic development authorities, rfps that people

426
00:47:56,296 --> 00:47:56,296
like me don't seem to hear about. Tax incentives for outside investors, while black

427
00:48:01,702 --> 00:48:01,702
businesses and owners get told start smaller or take it somewhere else. Greed got a

428
00:48:08,474 --> 00:48:08,474
spreadsheet with no conscience. The third cycle is gluttony. Committees, subcommittees, tax

429
00:48:17,083 --> 00:48:17,083
forces, strategic plans stacked like plates. Everybody eating off the process. But ain't

430
00:48:23,590 --> 00:48:23,590
nobody feeding the people. Wards three and four. It's all about old town. While the rest

431
00:48:31,799 --> 00:48:31,799
of us get scraps. What happened to the sycamore grove program? Four cycle and sloth. This is

432
00:48:45,212 --> 00:48:45,212
where progress goes to take a nap. Next quarter under review. Still gathering data. Some

433
00:48:51,017 --> 00:48:51,017
streets been flooding like this for decades. Go take a look at old town right now. Peabody is

434
00:48:59,260 --> 00:48:59,260
falling apart. But see, urgency only shows up during election time or when the casino tell

435
00:49:06,366 --> 00:49:06,366
you to get your situation together. The fourth cycle is wrath. Now listen, this anger,

436
00:49:15,443 --> 00:49:15,443
it ain't come from nowhere. This has happened when citizens beg long enough, when black men

437
00:49:23,017 --> 00:49:23,017
stand up and blocks get stand up for their blocks and get labeled as disruptive or angry.

438
00:49:29,424 --> 00:49:29,424
when frustration gets criminalized. But negligence gets reelected. Rafted, and

439
00:49:38,566 --> 00:49:38,566
stored in the streets. It started in the silence of your back rooms. Thank you, mr. Sulu.

440
00:49:45,073 --> 00:49:45,073
envy. Now I'm going to reclaim my time. Y'all was an hour and a half late, so I need another

441
00:49:50,078 --> 00:49:50,078
couple minutes. Mr. Suku, I told you, you at your time, lady. And right now. Right now,

442
00:49:54,449 --> 00:49:54,449
you disturbing a public meeting. Mr. Suku, you have three minutes. Those are the rules.

443
00:49:58,654 --> 00:49:58,654
say less, say less. Well, I say this. Remember this. Y'all work for the people, not the

444
00:50:05,193 --> 00:50:05,193
position. Thank you. Next up is miss claudette stewart. As we say, we have a we have a lot of

445
00:50:14,103 --> 00:50:14,103
speakers tonight and everyone has to respect the process. Thank you.

446
00:50:33,889 --> 00:50:33,889
are we ready? Yeah. Okay. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Council

447
00:50:40,796 --> 00:50:40,796
members I'm claudette stewart. My address is 1151 wilcox street, apartment two six. Ward,

448
00:50:50,606 --> 00:50:50,606
I'm patty hearst. My address is 1733 south sycamore street, ward four. We are proud alumnus

449
00:50:58,247 --> 00:50:58,247
of peabody high school, which is the first and oldest black public high school in the

450
00:51:04,586 --> 00:51:04,586
nation. The peabody high school is not just a building. It represents over 100 years of

451
00:51:12,462 --> 00:51:12,462
people experiencing faith, love and hope, using education to rise above segregation and

452
00:51:18,901 --> 00:51:18,901
produce leaders of integrity and a vision for the city, and also for their lives abroad.

453
00:51:26,242 --> 00:51:26,242
and of course, it affects their affected various fields of influence, just to name a few.

454
00:51:32,315 --> 00:51:32,315
we have our first black mayor, petersburg was herman's leroy. Jermaine fauntleroy was also

455
00:51:39,990 --> 00:51:39,990
the first superintendent of public schools. We have rosalyn dance. She was our petersburg

456
00:51:47,364 --> 00:51:47,364
city mayor. She served as member of the house of delegates, as well as the

457
00:51:51,701 --> 00:51:51,701
virginia state senator. And of course, we have our actor, kenneth lee afemo omilami, who

458
00:51:58,942 --> 00:51:58,942
played in several movies and so many others that three minutes won't won't mention won't give

459
00:52:04,982 --> 00:52:04,982
us time to mention. But I will mention a couple more ron bolton. Y'all like nfl. He came

460
00:52:11,688 --> 00:52:11,688
out of peabody. He served with the cleveland browns and the england patriots. We have roger

461
00:52:17,294 --> 00:52:17,294
lee gregory out of law. He served as a us circuit court of appeals of the fourth district.

462
00:52:23,500 --> 00:52:23,500
and of course we have in our armed services monica winfield. He was the army brigade general.

463
00:52:30,240 --> 00:52:30,240
and of course, he worked at the pentagon. And that's just to name a few. Okay. Okay. Now.

464
00:52:41,386 --> 00:52:41,386
our faith is that you will save, renew, restore and preserve the complex through custodial

465
00:52:49,661 --> 00:52:49,661
ownership of the peabody academic learning and development center,

466
00:52:54,131 --> 00:52:54,131
incorporated. Powell, dc, for our children, our citizens and the region. Now, I can imagine

467
00:53:02,273 --> 00:53:02,273
how you felt when richmond was denied or the referendum stopped and the casino came

468
00:53:11,048 --> 00:53:11,048
back down the pike. Always the joy that you got when you knew that that opportunity and what

469
00:53:17,822 --> 00:53:17,822
was attached to it could set petersburg back up on the map and the things that you could

470
00:53:23,729 --> 00:53:23,729
do for the people, your communities, and just the things that you had in mind and

471
00:53:29,167 --> 00:53:29,167
in your heart that you could do for us. That's how we feel now about the building and the

472
00:53:35,407 --> 00:53:35,407
complex. If given back to us, the things we could do for our citizens, our children and the

473
00:53:42,914 --> 00:53:42,914
future to come. And of course, we are out of time. Thank you very much. Thank you so much.

474
00:53:53,426 --> 00:53:53,426
appreciate it. Next, miss patty hurts. Oh I'm okay, patty hearst okay, okay. So you were

475
00:54:03,502 --> 00:54:07,473
given. We thought we were going to do three minutes together instead of several. Okay, I didn't know. Would you would you have patty hearst time? Sure. Yeah. Okay. Thank you.

476
00:54:12,211 --> 00:54:12,211
sure. As this new administration is trying to erase history throughout our

477
00:54:18,917 --> 00:54:18,917
nation, I pray that we will have the courage to do what is right so that we can restore

478
00:54:25,023 --> 00:54:25,023
the peabody high school complex. And, of course, the historic site for our city of the social

479
00:54:33,799 --> 00:54:33,799
and cultural transformation, for everyone who lives here and for people who will visit us.

480
00:54:39,505 --> 00:54:39,505
so we are praying that you guys will do that. I know that you may not understand about the

481
00:54:46,679 --> 00:54:46,679
history. You weren't around when there were colored fountains and we couldn't sit

482
00:54:51,718 --> 00:54:51,718
in the library. We had to go downstairs, call it bathrooms and things like that. But we

483
00:54:58,224 --> 00:54:58,224
rose above that. And even in the transition and the forced integration, we were able to

484
00:55:04,064 --> 00:55:04,064
move smoothly. That because of how we were taught in school about strength and faith and

485
00:55:12,572 --> 00:55:12,572
overcoming situations. So the school represents more than the building. It represents people,

486
00:55:19,112 --> 00:55:19,112
your parents, those who who labored during those seasons, those who made the city of

487
00:55:25,986 --> 00:55:25,986
petersburg become prosperous through the work that they did. So when you look at the

488
00:55:31,325 --> 00:55:31,325
building, you are looking at people, you're looking at lives, you're looking at what was done

489
00:55:36,229 --> 00:55:36,229
to create and have the city the way it is so that you can be where you are. The first black

490
00:55:42,102 --> 00:55:42,102
mayor was, was, was jermaine von roy. So you get to see you get to sit where you are

491
00:55:48,242 --> 00:55:48,242
because of what was done. And it will be phenomenal. If we had that historic site restored,

492
00:55:54,748 --> 00:55:54,748
especially with the city getting ready to rise. Every major city that you go into or

493
00:56:00,053 --> 00:56:00,053
every city that you go, that's that's productive. There are historic sites that remind

494
00:56:06,327 --> 00:56:06,327
people of what got them there. It takes strength. It takes faith to bring back peabody

495
00:56:11,799 --> 00:56:11,799
high school. It is not a casino where people your hands, our hands are out and people are

496
00:56:17,071 --> 00:56:17,071
giving it. It's going to take the guts of you on the inside, a heart to see that building

497
00:56:23,210 --> 00:56:23,210
restored. So it's a historic site that people will see. It was there over 100 years.

498
00:56:27,915 --> 00:56:27,915
that's a lot of history for petersburg. And we have come forth. We are integrated and we

499
00:56:33,955 --> 00:56:33,955
have come forth as a people to make the city great again. So I hope that you guys can, can,

500
00:56:40,462 --> 00:56:40,462
can see that. I know you don't understand it. You came up in another generation. So I don't

501
00:56:47,669 --> 00:56:47,669
know the the logistics of it. I know it's a lot of money, but it's going to take faith to do

502
00:56:53,508 --> 00:56:53,508
it. It's not going to be something happened to us. We're going to have to do that. So so

503
00:56:58,447 --> 00:56:58,447
that's what we really want into that building. What was there from the very beginning when we

504
00:57:02,517 --> 00:57:02,517
started with the alumni association in dc. Helping children, helping citizens,

505
00:57:10,059 --> 00:57:10,059
helping adults, and helping the community give us our purpose back. Thank you. Thank you so

506
00:57:15,697 --> 00:57:15,697
much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you. Next is nita amador hernandez.

507
00:57:33,415 --> 00:57:33,415
and you guess that doesn't move down. Good evening. Council. My name is ninfa amador hernandez,

508
00:57:40,556 --> 00:57:40,556
and I am the daughter of two immigrant homeowners and taxpayers at agusta avenue,

509
00:57:45,294 --> 00:57:45,294
right past westview and birdville neighborhoods. I wish I could give you my full

510
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:51,000
address tonight, but I do not feel comfortable doing so as an immigrant and as a latina

511
00:57:55,071 --> 00:57:55,071
during this time. And that is why I'm here today as a graduate of maggie walker

512
00:57:59,274 --> 00:57:59,274
governor's school, a political science major, and a public policy professional, I took the

513
00:58:04,247 --> 00:58:04,247
time to be here because I cannot stay home not knowing what the city council or what

514
00:58:09,052 --> 00:58:09,052
the local government here in petersburg is doing to protect our immigrant homeowners and

515
00:58:13,355 --> 00:58:13,355
business leaders and community as a whole, from the rogue federal attacks of a

516
00:58:18,828 --> 00:58:18,828
paramilitary force that is ice. And as I think we all know, and we all saw what happened last

517
00:58:23,833 --> 00:58:23,833
week just a block from here, this has has exasperated even more the need for me to know

518
00:58:31,674 --> 00:58:31,674
what we can count on you to do during these times. Right now, we are seeing immigrant

519
00:58:38,148 --> 00:58:38,148
families being abused cruelly by a system that is fueled by hate through racially motivated

520
00:58:45,121 --> 00:58:45,121
and a quota based immigration system of deportations. Not anything logical like we've

521
00:58:49,626 --> 00:58:49,626
seen before, and we don't have to look too far. Like I said, outside of our own city limits,

522
00:58:54,098 --> 00:58:54,098
to see what is going on here, what is going on here in our own city. We may see the cases

523
00:58:59,803 --> 00:58:59,803
of renee goode and in minnesota and other cases across the country. But after the

524
00:59:05,209 --> 00:59:05,209
kidnaping of my very own bonus father, a man that has worked tirelessly with my mother to

525
00:59:11,982 --> 00:59:11,982
raise my family here in petersburg, he was kidnaped in minnesota as he was going to a

526
00:59:17,521 --> 00:59:17,521
job site, because he is a class a contractor and an individual who works in the construction

527
00:59:23,460 --> 00:59:23,460
area. He was kidnaped by unmarked and unmarked vehicles, by masked individuals, without

528
00:59:30,467 --> 00:59:30,467
any reason, without any warrant and without any cause. He is now no longer on us soil

529
00:59:38,242 --> 00:59:38,242
without attorneys being able to reach him over the past 12 days with us, without us knowing

530
00:59:43,314 --> 00:59:43,314
where he might be. And this story is not unique. I'm sure that there are many other

531
00:59:49,754 --> 00:59:49,754
stories of families like my own here in our very own city that are witnessing this and this

532
00:59:55,893 --> 00:59:55,893
personal pain. And my commitment to my community is why I am here to ask this body,

533
01:00:01,332 --> 01:00:01,332
what have you done to investigate the kidnaping of the individuals right over at

534
01:00:05,570 --> 01:00:05,570
union street and washington street, in front of the transit station? And to ask you if ice

535
01:00:12,510 --> 01:00:12,510
shows up to any of our businesses, to any of our homes here in petersburg, what are

536
01:00:16,847 --> 01:00:16,847
you doing to protect individuals, to know their rights, to ensure that without

537
01:00:22,219 --> 01:00:22,219
proper judicial warrants, ice has no place in our city limits? What are you saying to the

538
01:00:27,625 --> 01:00:27,625
immigrant community here? To ensure that you are looking out for our best interest? And what

539
01:00:32,630 --> 01:00:32,630
resources are you committing as council members to use to share information on how we can all

540
01:00:37,736 --> 01:00:37,736
be protected? Because an increase in law enforcement presence in our communities is

541
01:00:42,009 --> 01:00:42,009
no good for anyone, and particularly increase of these rogue paramilitary forces is a

542
01:00:47,546 --> 01:00:47,546
danger to everyone, regardless of their immigration status. And in particular, it's a big

543
01:00:52,116 --> 01:00:52,116
threat to our black and latino communities here in petersburg. Let me leave you with this, and

544
01:00:56,689 --> 01:00:56,689
I urge that you give me the couple seconds left. We just celebrated martin luther king

545
01:01:00,759 --> 01:01:00,759
day, and this is a quote that I came across like a month ago, and it has stuck with me. The

546
01:01:07,265 --> 01:01:07,265
ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but

547
01:01:12,003 --> 01:01:12,003
where they stand in moments of challenge and controversy. And I ask you that question, where

548
01:01:16,241 --> 01:01:16,241
will you stand with our communities right now? Thank you. Thank you. Next, doctor

549
01:01:28,688 --> 01:01:28,688
kenneth lewis. Good evening to all. Good evening. For the public record, I'm doctor

550
01:01:43,268 --> 01:01:43,268
kenneth lewis, 503 mistletoe street, petersburg, ward five, represented by mr. Myers. I

551
01:01:50,442 --> 01:01:50,442
speak to you for two reasons. This time that I have one is. Yes. I publicly state that I've

552
01:01:58,484 --> 01:01:58,484
always had hesitation about the casino. I trust that it will be more than the billy graham

553
01:02:04,824 --> 01:02:04,824
revival tent that it looks like right now, and also, it concerns me greatly that

554
01:02:12,031 --> 01:02:12,031
television advertisements are on. You've seen them live casino las vegas style slot

555
01:02:19,239 --> 01:02:19,239
machines come down interstate 95 to exit 48 and experience the joy of that. But it doesn't

556
01:02:30,684 --> 01:02:30,684
say petersburg. It says interstate 95, exit 48. And I just find that a bit peculiar

557
01:02:42,628 --> 01:02:42,628
that we go through this of the petersburg casino. But when it is advertised on television, it

558
01:02:49,803 --> 01:02:49,803
doesn't say petersburg. That's number one. Number two, of course, is peabody high school

559
01:02:58,111 --> 01:02:58,111
campus. I just don't understand why you don't understand what I understand, I just don't the

560
01:03:06,720 --> 01:03:06,720
building is conveniently falling apart. But guess what? Before washington street high

561
01:03:13,360 --> 01:03:13,360
school, petersburg high school became the governor's school. That building had fallen into

562
01:03:18,332 --> 01:03:18,332
such decay that the pigeons wouldn't even go there to poop anymore. And you can see that

563
01:03:23,304 --> 01:03:23,304
that's the beauty of history, that you know what happened? That building was in such

564
01:03:28,342 --> 01:03:28,342
morbid decay. The only thing that should have happened to it was it should have been torn

565
01:03:32,447 --> 01:03:32,447
down. But somebody took an interest in it and said, let us save the old petersburg high

566
01:03:36,618 --> 01:03:36,618
school and turn it back into a worthwhile building called the governor's school. The fox

567
01:03:41,256 --> 01:03:41,256
elementary school that was in richmond, virginia, that was burnt down by all by by all

568
01:03:46,694 --> 01:03:46,694
reason, that building should have just been bulldozed, what was left of it. But somebody

569
01:03:51,332 --> 01:03:51,332
cared enough about it and said, let us rebuild it. And now when you see that fox elementary

570
01:03:56,071 --> 01:03:56,071
school building in richmond, virginia, it looks as in pristine shape as it was when

571
01:04:00,808 --> 01:04:00,808
it was first constructed. Even better, why do you not care about the oldest public black

572
01:04:09,784 --> 01:04:09,784
high school in the united states of america? Right here in the city of petersburg? When

573
01:04:18,193 --> 01:04:18,193
you go even now, when you go on the the facebook in that very base, raspy voice gives

574
01:04:24,899 --> 01:04:24,899
historic commentary. It says that paul laurence dunbar, madam smith lee is the oldest

575
01:04:32,707 --> 01:04:32,707
public black high school in the united states of america. It is not the school that is called

576
01:04:39,281 --> 01:04:39,281
paul laurence dunbar high school in washington, d.c. Was conceived of in november of

577
01:04:46,088 --> 01:04:46,088
1870, and the peabody building, well, not the peabody building, but the peabody concept was up

578
01:04:51,260 --> 01:04:51,260
and running in january of 1870. So unless there are alternative facts to calendar, january

579
01:04:58,333 --> 01:04:58,333
precedes november. Thank you. Thank you. Next, dylan tucker. All right, next up, miss bob

580
01:05:24,261 --> 01:05:24,261
rudolph. Good evening. Council barbara rudolph, 1675 mount vernon street. I heard some

581
01:05:36,872 --> 01:05:36,872
very interesting comments tonight. I hope you're taking them to heart. But the young

582
01:05:41,244 --> 01:05:41,244
lady who spoke about ice, I guess what I've got to say is a little related to that, which

583
01:05:47,283 --> 01:05:47,283
is, I think, is to be careful about the federal gifts that are coming to petersburg. I

584
01:05:52,755 --> 01:05:52,755
mean, we recently heard a lot about an initiative called make petersburg healthy again, which

585
01:06:00,463 --> 01:06:00,463
is federal, federally funded, and brought a deputy secretary of hhs down here. And governor

586
01:06:08,005 --> 01:06:08,005
youngkin soon. Now, former governor youngkin, sorry, former governor youngkin.

587
01:06:15,579 --> 01:06:15,579
here's the deal. I know people who the the few people who are supporting the president. They

588
01:06:22,820 --> 01:06:22,820
don't like hearing this, but he only got like 13% of the votes cast in petersburg during the

589
01:06:30,294 --> 01:06:30,294
last presidential election. So he's not very popular figure. And associating these programs

590
01:06:37,768 --> 01:06:37,768
with these federal basically maha meaning make america healthy again, which is an

591
01:06:43,340 --> 01:06:43,340
offshoot of maga, the infamous maga, which to some of us is really kind of a dirty word.

592
01:06:50,247 --> 01:06:50,247
quite a few of us, I'd say. So when you attach the the current federal administration to issue

593
01:06:59,190 --> 01:06:59,190
to programs that are going to be launched in petersburg to help people with, with their

594
01:07:03,561 --> 01:07:03,561
health and with the environment, you're you're depressing participation because a lot of

595
01:07:09,600 --> 01:07:09,600
these programs, they're like public health outreach, and it relies on people being open to

596
01:07:14,939 --> 01:07:14,939
talking with outreach workers. My what I've heard is that federal workers are coming to

597
01:07:19,711 --> 01:07:19,711
do some of this. I'm just I just think you're you are in in your zeal to get, you know, to

598
01:07:26,217 --> 01:07:26,217
get photo ops with the governor and, and get in the paper and have all this talked about.

599
01:07:31,689 --> 01:07:31,689
you're you're doing you're making moves that are not that are in the long, long term, not

600
01:07:36,661 --> 01:07:36,661
in the best interest of petersburg. And so when this and you see this, we've got now

601
01:07:41,833 --> 01:07:41,833
we've got this initiative which is basically labeled with with a name from the trump

602
01:07:48,173 --> 01:07:48,173
administration. And now we're going to get we have ice being seen here, heightened police

603
01:07:53,978 --> 01:07:53,978
activity, all kinds of things. The we've got our former delegate. She's busy putting

604
01:07:58,983 --> 01:07:58,983
out statements about all the horrible things that are going on in the general assembly over

605
01:08:03,188 --> 01:08:03,188
the past week. Now that there's a democratic dominated house of delegates. So it's all part of

606
01:08:10,963 --> 01:08:10,963
the same package, is that we're being primed to be I don't want to say we're going to be the

607
01:08:17,435 --> 01:08:17,435
next minneapolis saint paul. I sure hope we're not. But I think, I think we're I think

608
01:08:22,007 --> 01:08:22,007
petersburg's going to be a demonstration not exactly of the same kind that governor

609
01:08:26,544 --> 01:08:26,544
youngkin wanted to do, but more like what governor youngkin's chief in washington wants to do.

610
01:08:33,918 --> 01:08:33,918
thank you. Next, leela thompson. Let me put my glasses on so I can see. Okay. Hello. My name

611
01:08:57,477 --> 01:08:57,477
is leela thompson. I live at 623 gilliam street, ward five, and my mother owns and operates

612
01:09:03,783 --> 01:09:03,783
cindy's gift shop in downtown petersburg at 235 north sycamore street in ward four.

613
01:09:10,190 --> 01:09:10,190
I'll be honest, I was here today to talk about something different. I was here to

614
01:09:14,627 --> 01:09:14,627
discuss the I am power development. Mr. Rainier, I believe, was here and I would

615
01:09:19,899 --> 01:09:19,899
have loved to talk to him and ask him questions about such a big development. That's going

616
01:09:24,104 --> 01:09:24,104
to be potentially a really big part of old town in a really key piece of real estate. I

617
01:09:30,076 --> 01:09:30,076
would love to see the city go about this in a different way. I would love to see requests

618
01:09:34,648 --> 01:09:34,648
for proposals for this project. I'd really love to see. An experienced developer with

619
01:09:41,588 --> 01:09:41,588
years of experience and an extensive development portfolio. I'd love to see what they

620
01:09:46,226 --> 01:09:49,863
propose for this project, and I'd love feedback from the public collaboration with council on such a big project in old town. But I'm part of the public comment is I have a

621
01:09:56,603 --> 01:09:56,603
question about bank street for the city manager. I have a question about when

622
01:10:00,974 --> 01:10:00,974
construction will begin on the repairs. I know that there's a line item. I'm not familiar

623
01:10:05,312 --> 01:10:05,312
with how all of this stuff works. I'm kind of new, but I know there's a cff grant for

624
01:10:10,017 --> 01:10:10,017
bank street. I believe that expires on june 30th of this year for $4.6 million for bank

625
01:10:16,857 --> 01:10:16,857
street. And I'm wondering if that has to do with the construction and the repair of

626
01:10:21,261 --> 01:10:21,261
bank street. And do you have a timeline on when construction will start? Because I think

627
01:10:26,167 --> 01:10:26,167
it's a really critical road for old town. I think no development in old town should

628
01:10:30,737 --> 01:10:30,737
happen of such a big scale of the I am power without attention to our infrastructure,

629
01:10:35,175 --> 01:10:35,175
so I'd love to know when that will start. So that's my question. Okay, okay. Thank you,

630
01:10:46,086 --> 01:10:46,086
thank you. Next, dolly holmes. Hello, I'm dolly holmes. I live at 244 grove avenue in ward

631
01:11:03,671 --> 01:11:03,671
four. I've been in petersburg over 20 years and I have seen many. Groups come in and give

632
01:11:14,849 --> 01:11:14,849
petersburg advice. And I was somewhat involved with 1 in 2007 called the rudat, where

633
01:11:25,960 --> 01:11:25,960
architects, landscape architects, urban designers and economic development

634
01:11:34,536 --> 01:11:34,536
professionals came and met with people for four days and came up with recommendations. They

635
01:11:43,244 --> 01:11:43,244
presented a document to the city, and I'm going to read a little bit from it. This is

636
01:11:50,118 --> 01:11:50,118
because of the I am power proposal. I know it was tabled, but I think we need to be

637
01:11:55,290 --> 01:11:55,290
thinking about this. Okay, this is from the rudat and it's from that neighborhood that we're

638
01:12:01,998 --> 01:12:01,998
talking about, the pedestrian scale and orientation against the quirky character of this

639
01:12:09,938 --> 01:12:09,938
subdistrict creates an eclectic environment that is highly conducive to arts and

640
01:12:15,978 --> 01:12:15,978
entertainment, audiences and activities that should be cherished and preserved. Infill

641
01:12:23,118 --> 01:12:23,118
development should be compatible in scale and character. With this

642
01:12:28,524 --> 01:12:28,524
environment. No building in this or any other districts should block regional views to

643
01:12:35,031 --> 01:12:35,031
lady justice on the courthouse tower. The vista of lady justice from coquette alley at

644
01:12:41,938 --> 01:12:41,938
east old street should be preserved as a way of visually connecting the downtown's

645
01:12:47,309 --> 01:12:47,309
public spaces and landmarks. Design standards. It is very important that all stakeholders

646
01:12:55,251 --> 01:12:55,251
work to achieve signature architecture that adheres to these general guidelines, and I

647
01:13:01,390 --> 01:13:01,390
think it's really interesting that so many groups have come in to petersburg with

648
01:13:08,531 --> 01:13:08,531
recommendations, and I've not seen any evidence that any of it was ever followed. There was

649
01:13:13,603 --> 01:13:13,603
another one about five years ago. I remember having meetings in this very room about it. And

650
01:13:20,476 --> 01:13:20,476
instead of that, we're accepting or, you know, entertaining proposals from

651
01:13:25,449 --> 01:13:25,449
people off the street that that would absolutely blow these recommendations out of the

652
01:13:30,854 --> 01:13:30,854
water. And it's not stuff we asked for. So I think it's really important for us to

653
01:13:35,893 --> 01:13:35,893
actually look at the good advice that we've gotten over the years. And by the way, if

654
01:13:40,564 --> 01:13:40,564
anybody needs a copy of the rudat, I can share it with council and with and I can send

655
01:13:46,337 --> 01:13:46,337
it to charlie cuthbert and he can share it. That's all I have. Thank you, thank you. Next is

656
01:13:57,414 --> 01:13:57,414
nikki harris, duncan road. Next is kevin newby.

657
01:14:22,640 --> 01:14:22,640
my name is kevin. My name is kevin newby. I'm from 444 18 clinton street.

658
01:14:30,314 --> 01:14:30,314
I actually apologized for signing the list. I thought it was just a signing my first

659
01:14:35,253 --> 01:14:35,253
time. I just wanted to listen. But I am actually enjoying this being. Excuse me, I do find a

660
01:14:43,494 --> 01:14:43,494
lot of interesting things from petersburg. I'm originally from the hampton roads area. I've

661
01:14:47,999 --> 01:14:47,999
been out here for about five years now, but I hear a lot of people and I hear a lot of

662
01:14:54,539 --> 01:14:57,741
their comments. They are passionate about their city, they do care about their city, you know, and I think a lot of people, especially you guys, need to get on board, you know,

663
01:15:02,647 --> 01:15:06,551
pay attention to what they're really saying because they are making some good comments. They really do care. And I drive around the city, you know, and I'm from small town surry

664
01:15:11,356 --> 01:15:11,356
county. I lived in newport news, but I do see a lot of, you know, desperate buildings. But I also

665
01:15:19,297 --> 01:15:19,297
do see a lot of construction going on as well. I do see a lot of houses being built. And

666
01:15:24,637 --> 01:15:24,637
to be honest, even when I first came here and I saw the houses being rebuilt, but I saw new

667
01:15:29,708 --> 01:15:29,708
houses being built, what's the point of building new houses to take away the, the, the beauty

668
01:15:35,147 --> 01:15:35,147
that you could use versus the old houses that could be rebuilt, you know, that's

669
01:15:39,751 --> 01:15:39,751
already cheaper in the first place. You know, that's already good wood. That's already a lot

670
01:15:44,523 --> 01:15:44,523
of stuff that wouldn't waste money, time, and even just basic, probably would be

671
01:15:51,463 --> 01:15:51,463
cheaper than these new houses that are out here. It almost these new houses probably look

672
01:15:55,534 --> 01:15:55,534
like redlining. And I forgot the name of the word, but it's something. But you, you pricing

673
01:16:02,875 --> 01:16:06,511
the people out of the neighborhoods. And that would be another thing. You know, people around here already seen. I looked up just when I first got here. I looked up the

674
01:16:11,318 --> 01:16:11,318
median income for petersburg. I'm 100% permanent and total military veteran, and I get

675
01:16:17,590 --> 01:16:17,590
social security and just that money alone. I'm higher than the median average income in

676
01:16:24,063 --> 01:16:24,063
petersburg. I don't even have to work. And I'm already making more money than people in

677
01:16:28,735 --> 01:16:28,735
petersburg working, you know, luckily, hopefully when, you know,panberger passes

678
01:16:34,212 --> 01:16:34,212
$15 an hour makes a lot more difference. And I have worked in petersburg. I've worked for

679
01:16:40,652 --> 01:16:40,652
trans services, team standard motor products, a couple other companies as well around here,

680
01:16:47,426 --> 01:16:47,426
and I've made decent money, but I always here at work, people having to work two jobs, you

681
01:16:53,966 --> 01:16:53,966
know, always having to do extra to make more money. So there's a lot that's in the community.

682
01:16:59,605 --> 01:16:59,605
there's a lot of potential in the community. But at the same time, you need to listen to the

683
01:17:04,076 --> 01:17:04,076
people. The people are your source. People are your power. You know, they vote for you to

684
01:17:08,314 --> 01:17:08,314
because they trust you, not because they just checking off a ballot box, you know, so

685
01:17:14,187 --> 01:17:17,890
really care about your people and everything else. But thank you for your time. Okay? Thank you. Next is theresa brown. Good evening mayor. Good evening. My name is theresa

686
01:17:42,582 --> 01:17:42,582
brown. My address is 923 oakmont drive, petersburg, virginia, and I am in ward

687
01:17:50,490 --> 01:17:50,490
three right down. That good? Yes. 923 oakmont drive. Correct? Correct, correct. And the

688
01:18:00,467 --> 01:18:00,467
reason I'm standing here today is. The rainwater that we pay for. We. Ma'am, speaking to the

689
01:18:13,313 --> 01:18:13,313
mike. Please. Can you hear me now? Yeah, yeah. Do I need to stand back a little bit? Go

690
01:18:19,586 --> 01:18:19,586
close. Okay. My time is still going, so I'm gonna keep talking, okay? It's the

691
01:18:25,325 --> 01:18:25,325
rainwater. Okay. We were told years ago that that rainwater that we pay for would help our

692
01:18:34,768 --> 01:18:34,768
communities. But year after year, the water gets higher and higher, and all you need is a

693
01:18:47,348 --> 01:18:47,348
swimsuit. Because that's how deep the water is. And those trenches that you all dug for

694
01:18:55,623 --> 01:18:55,623
us were of no avail. It didn't do any good. All it did was cause us to have to use our

695
01:19:05,066 --> 01:19:05,066
lawnmowers a little differently, because all it was was a hole in the ground and the water is

696
01:19:11,105 --> 01:19:11,105
still there. And like I said, it's getting higher and higher. So we in not just our community,

697
01:19:20,114 --> 01:19:20,114
which is battlefield park, but I'm pretty sure all over we're having a problem, but we just

698
01:19:25,186 --> 01:19:25,186
want to know, what are you doing about that? That's all I have. Thank you. Next is pam

699
01:19:39,600 --> 01:19:39,600
newton. Can you hear me? Oh, you can hopefully. Pam newton, 203 north jefferson street. I

700
01:19:54,082 --> 01:19:54,082
just moved here in march. And I had a whole laundry list of things I wanted to say, but I'm

701
01:20:00,956 --> 01:20:00,956
going to stick with two key points. I notice a lot of discontent with the citizens of

702
01:20:10,899 --> 01:20:10,899
this city. Seems like there's a lot of disregard from council members on actually getting

703
01:20:18,808 --> 01:20:18,808
input from their council members, and if there is input given, there are promises made

704
01:20:25,248 --> 01:20:25,248
that fall to the wayside. Wayside are not following through with. I did a little

705
01:20:30,219 --> 01:20:30,219
research. And this is the first city I've lived in where you don't actually have a mayor

706
01:20:37,860 --> 01:20:37,860
that you vote for, which for me is really unusual. So I saw there have been several

707
01:20:46,435 --> 01:20:46,435
attempts by your constituents to change this, and I know that this is a model, apparently,

708
01:20:52,774 --> 01:20:52,774
that some cities in virginia follow, but I would imagine that that would be if that was

709
01:20:57,846 --> 01:20:57,846
that, if that particular city was being managed well by that council. So I'm not trying to

710
01:21:04,420 --> 01:21:04,420
judge anyone up on the stage. But as a newcomer, I'm only been here since march and I'm

711
01:21:09,892 --> 01:21:09,892
seeing some serious discontent. I am reading some horrible comments and seeing horrible

712
01:21:16,333 --> 01:21:16,333
history of the fact that things are promised and nothing ever happens, and things that that

713
01:21:21,103 --> 01:21:21,103
the citizens don't want to happen are what happens. Like, I was going to go off about

714
01:21:26,242 --> 01:21:26,242
this I am power thing, but I don't have to because it's been tabled. Don't nova richmond

715
01:21:33,583 --> 01:21:33,583
petersburg. Sorry, I just left richmond because richmond got no. But if you don't know what

716
01:21:38,088 --> 01:21:38,088
being nova means, it means tearing down old, old structures and building these

717
01:21:43,793 --> 01:21:43,793
horrible, heartless, cold condominiums that will probably stand for like 20 or 30 years

718
01:21:49,299 --> 01:21:49,299
and then crumble. And that's to another point. Someone was mentioning we shouldn't be

719
01:21:54,504 --> 01:21:54,504
building all this new housing units, renovate what we have here, build on what we have

720
01:22:00,009 --> 01:22:00,009
here. You do not find architecture like we have here currently that you guys are

721
01:22:05,316 --> 01:22:05,316
neglecting these old bones are the things that last. Not this new. Pardon my language. That

722
01:22:11,421 --> 01:22:11,421
goes up. I have no filter. Charlie already knows this. Can't do that. Anyways, there

723
01:22:16,960 --> 01:22:16,960
was also a petition that was submitted by a woman of the name, and I don't think that

724
01:22:22,866 --> 01:22:22,866
she's here and I wish that she had shown up. Barbara, barbara, barbara hooser, barbara hoosier.

725
01:22:32,710 --> 01:22:32,710
she submitted a petition with, I believe, 100 names on there wanting to bring to the council

726
01:22:37,948 --> 01:22:37,948
the fact that we want an elected mayor in place. We want to change the system. Right now,

727
01:22:43,654 --> 01:22:43,654
we have no safeguards. You're all up there electing each other back and forth to be

728
01:22:48,292 --> 01:22:48,292
mayor. What input do we have? It's time to change the system. We are paying attention to

729
01:22:55,065 --> 01:22:55,065
what's going on in the government in dc. Don't think that we are not watching what

730
01:23:00,004 --> 01:23:00,004
you are doing. Thank you, thank you. Next is javon de garner. Good evening. Good evening

731
01:23:24,496 --> 01:23:24,496
javon. I initially thought it was a sign in sheet. I'm a teacher at petersburg high

732
01:23:30,368 --> 01:23:30,368
school. I was born in petersburg. I'm not currently a citizen, but I am moving back.

733
01:23:34,707 --> 01:23:34,707
if I'm allowed to speak, I will speak as a teacher. But mr. City attorney, is that a. The

734
01:23:44,783 --> 01:23:44,783
rules require residency or a business owner in the city. Okay, okay. All right. At this

735
01:23:52,591 --> 01:23:52,591
time, you can state the state, the name and address of your school, you you work at. Okay.

736
01:23:58,730 --> 01:23:58,730
javon guerrier, I work at petersburg high school, 3101 johnson road, petersburg,

737
01:24:03,802 --> 01:24:03,802
virginia. Okay. I think one thing that was brought up was the capital infrastructure and

738
01:24:10,643 --> 01:24:10,643
council member jones, I do appreciate your input on that. I would also ask that when that

739
01:24:16,682 --> 01:24:16,682
does come up, if teachers and students are allowed to also have an input in the capital

740
01:24:21,854 --> 01:24:25,824
infrastructure, I have a classroom with none of the sockets in the floor work, so it's very hard to charge computers. I teach computer information systems. I also

741
01:24:30,530 --> 01:24:30,530
teach design, multimedia and web tech. So typically I have to take like three extension

742
01:24:35,802 --> 01:24:35,802
cords and like just plug one into the other, one into the other one into the other. So

743
01:24:41,174 --> 01:24:41,174
that does interrupt learning. There's also certain things I noticed as a teacher that as a

744
01:24:47,113 --> 01:24:47,113
student I would say like, okay, I can hide in this corner or I can do this over here. Bathroom

745
01:24:52,785 --> 01:24:52,785
issues, things like that. It's it's not good. So if students and teachers can also have an

746
01:24:59,025 --> 01:24:59,025
input, I think that will allow when those infrastructure designs go in, it actually

747
01:25:03,729 --> 01:25:03,729
improves learning as well. Another thing that was brought up was peabody high school as a

748
01:25:10,135 --> 01:25:10,135
native of petersburg, at one point we moved. My family moved to henrico. I lived a whole

749
01:25:17,610 --> 01:25:17,610
life, got in trouble. All those things, got my life together. I became a data and ai engineer.

750
01:25:22,082 --> 01:25:22,082
I worked in silicon valley for the last three years. I saw what was happening in the

751
01:25:26,286 --> 01:25:26,286
industry over there, and I worked. I worked with apple, bank of america, pepsico, and I

752
01:25:31,325 --> 01:25:31,325
know what's coming with the ai revolution is already here. And I said, I need my people and my

753
01:25:36,663 --> 01:25:36,663
community to know how to use this. And it's the only reason I've come back to to petersburg.

754
01:25:43,136 --> 01:25:43,136
and a huge inspiration for me was peabody high school, knowing that I come from a

755
01:25:48,242 --> 01:25:48,242
community that does have the first black high school in the country, the oldest black

756
01:25:52,913 --> 01:25:52,913
neighborhood in the country, the first black church in the country. I also wanted to carry

757
01:25:57,284 --> 01:25:57,284
that legacy forward. And I also think for other students and kids growing up in petersburg

758
01:26:03,757 --> 01:26:03,757
to actually know that history, it will allow them to take more agency and have more pride in

759
01:26:08,762 --> 01:26:08,762
who they are. When I share this information with students in class, they do tend to engage

760
01:26:13,501 --> 01:26:16,871
more because they actually feel like they're a part of something important versus a city that's just falling apart. So that's all. Next is chris marcella. Next is adele scott.

761
01:26:41,429 --> 01:26:41,429
okay. Bernie gannaway. Go wash your hands. Good evening, council members. Good evening.

762
01:26:56,211 --> 01:26:56,211
my name is burnell gannaway, 652 old wagoner road, hale. Black and gold, peabody.

763
01:27:05,286 --> 01:27:05,286
because I'm originally from petersburg. A lot of you, I don't think some of you are

764
01:27:10,558 --> 01:27:10,558
even not even thought of. Some of you weren't even born here. But I'm originally from

765
01:27:15,697 --> 01:27:15,697
petersburg and was a part of peabody until my dad says. Time to go to petersburg and get

766
01:27:21,437 --> 01:27:21,437
some studies, so I so I acted up at peabody and with my friends. I ended up getting my

767
01:27:27,576 --> 01:27:27,576
work done in petersburg high. I. But since that time I graduated from petersburg high. Also,

768
01:27:33,415 --> 01:27:33,415
what happened when I graduated from there? I had no contact, but I still have more contact

769
01:27:39,421 --> 01:27:39,421
with the peabody, which I didn't graduate from then at petersburg. So I'm looking at

770
01:27:43,926 --> 01:27:43,926
the same arrow. You forgetting about the peabody that I was a part of? And to engrave the

771
01:27:52,268 --> 01:27:52,268
petersburg with all of the things I had to get a ticket for $100, for a ticket for

772
01:27:57,006 --> 01:27:57,006
passing through on washington street, where, you know, at peabody, I don't get a ticket.

773
01:28:03,412 --> 01:28:03,412
okay. But before I go there, you know, I want to think about this, though. One of my main

774
01:28:08,518 --> 01:28:08,518
thing was to. I want to make sure before my time run out, there's still I'm going to work

775
01:28:12,756 --> 01:28:12,756
for. I'm waiting on my light. We've had for ten years. We'll make sure I get my light.

776
01:28:17,627 --> 01:28:17,627
please get my get my wife. We don't need a grant. We don't need a discussion. We don't

777
01:28:21,864 --> 01:28:21,864
need to be voted out and voted in. Well, this is the fourth time or fifth time I need my

778
01:28:26,669 --> 01:28:26,669
light. We do need the drainage like the gentleman was talking about. We do need some

779
01:28:30,740 --> 01:28:30,740
infrastructure. We got to get that done. Like I said, the last meeting, the job is not

780
01:28:35,511 --> 01:28:35,511
complete until it's done. Don't get yourself a pat on the back. The casino is here. It's here.

781
01:28:41,251 --> 01:28:41,251
I see two streets, street sweepers on wagon road. I haven't seen that in years. Two

782
01:28:47,057 --> 01:28:47,057
street sweepers. Now we want to sweep the streets. Our infrastructure cannot continue.

783
01:28:54,397 --> 01:28:54,397
you got people that that have been here live in your building. These put together houses for

784
01:28:59,302 --> 01:28:59,302
tax breaks for taxes, good taxes because you got new people coming in with these

785
01:29:05,776 --> 01:29:05,776
fabricated houses, with some of the old infrastructure of the old gutters or the old piping.

786
01:29:13,250 --> 01:29:13,250
we need grant for that of things been done years ago. We don't need grants for that

787
01:29:18,489 --> 01:29:18,489
anymore. It's time people ought to cheer you, peabody. That's left. Some of them have moved

788
01:29:23,394 --> 01:29:23,394
away. We don't need all of them to move away. We got a few left like myself. It's time for us

789
01:29:28,432 --> 01:29:28,432
to look. Don't get no more grandstanding. Some of you going to have your thin skin.

790
01:29:32,502 --> 01:29:32,502
don't be thin skinned. Just come up with the facts. You were not here, I was here. How

791
01:29:37,307 --> 01:29:37,307
many people was in this room? I can tell you. None of you was on the picket line like I was.

792
01:29:42,413 --> 01:29:42,413
how many people forget about carl winfield? You forgot about carl winfield. Carl winfield

793
01:29:47,484 --> 01:29:47,484
was a part of peabody high school. Also, winfield was the one that implemented us to be

794
01:29:52,056 --> 01:29:52,056
on the picket line when we were hanging out the window. And we had to still hold our signs.

795
01:29:58,596 --> 01:29:58,596
thank you, mr. Gannaway. That concludes our public comment. Next, we'll go on to public, to

796
01:30:08,740 --> 01:30:12,711
the business of reports from the mayor or the members of city council. We'll start off with councilman cuthbert. Thank you, mr. Mayor. I want to pat the code enforcement effort of

797
01:30:24,189 --> 01:30:24,189
the city on the head. Give them a gold star because they're doing a superb job. Led and

798
01:30:30,795 --> 01:30:30,795
inspired by mr. Ken miller. Mr. Van voorhees, would you to illustrate my point, mr. Van

799
01:30:38,270 --> 01:30:38,270
voorhees, would you put up, please? Yes. This is 521 south sycamore street. Before you see

800
01:30:45,543 --> 01:30:45,543
the tag on the front door there. A couple of years ago, I took this photograph march 31st of

801
01:30:54,720 --> 01:30:54,720
2023, and thanks to code enforcement, and I believe thanks to the city's efforts to

802
01:31:03,395 --> 01:31:03,395
collect past due taxes, this house was moved, was transferred into the title to

803
01:31:10,735 --> 01:31:10,735
it was transferred to a new owner. And mr. Van voorhees, would you please put the next

804
01:31:16,008 --> 01:31:16,008
photograph up there? This is what the new owner did to the house. Same house, 521 south

805
01:31:21,347 --> 01:31:21,347
sycamore street. This is a real tribute to mr. Miller's efforts and code enforcement efforts,

806
01:31:27,119 --> 01:31:27,119
the city manager's efforts and city council keeping the faith. If anyone wants to keep up with

807
01:31:36,795 --> 01:31:36,795
efforts of a volunteer group that meets on the second monday of every month, please get in

808
01:31:43,302 --> 01:31:43,302
touch with the city clerk and ask her for the zoom link and she'll be glad to share it with

809
01:31:50,042 --> 01:31:50,042
you. Everybody is welcome to participate, observe, applaud, comment at that second monday

810
01:31:56,649 --> 01:31:56,649
at these second monday meetings, they've been very helpful in serving as a catalyst to

811
01:32:02,355 --> 01:32:02,355
progress. Just like what you see before you on the screen. And so there are lots of people

812
01:32:08,494 --> 01:32:08,494
to thank. There are a lot of people that deserve that, that credit. Let me go to the next

813
01:32:14,567 --> 01:32:14,567
photograph. This is a photograph of a dumpster behind matson lofts. Now, I took that

814
01:32:20,406 --> 01:32:20,406
photograph yesterday. That's certainly not the way we want downtown to look. Sent this

815
01:32:28,982 --> 01:32:28,982
photograph to mr. Ken miller, and this afternoon he sent me a photograph of the same view,

816
01:32:35,822 --> 01:32:35,822
but everything was cleaned up. And again, I'm indebted. We are all indebted to mr. Ken miller

817
01:32:42,663 --> 01:32:42,663
for inspiring the efforts by our city employees to get the job done. So again, mr. Miller,

818
01:32:52,439 --> 01:32:52,439
another exhibit of that shows why your efforts are so important to petersburg and

819
01:33:00,381 --> 01:33:00,381
gives us some idea of the challenges you face and the miracles that you accomplish.

820
01:33:08,255 --> 01:33:08,255
let me go to the topic of categorical funding for our public our public schools. I do

821
01:33:15,864 --> 01:33:15,864
hope that we follow up on the vice mayor's comment about that when it comes, when we are a

822
01:33:23,404 --> 01:33:23,404
little bit later into the budget season, and we that we deeply consider seriously

823
01:33:29,510 --> 01:33:29,510
consider this idea of categorical funding, certainly the status quo is is not

824
01:33:37,885 --> 01:33:37,885
acceptable. And perhaps categorical funding would help move that needle in the right

825
01:33:45,460 --> 01:33:45,460
direction. My sense is that there are other things that can be done, and I hope that

826
01:33:52,600 --> 01:33:52,600
council will entertain that discussion. Last point I held a ward four meeting on january

827
01:34:01,276 --> 01:34:01,276
the 8th. The a lot of people attended. The primary topic was the future of old town and lots

828
01:34:09,585 --> 01:34:09,585
of good comments. And I'm sorry the city manager's family had an illness and he couldn't be

829
01:34:16,591 --> 01:34:16,591
there, but mr. Miller was there and took good notes, and I hope that we'll be able to

830
01:34:23,598 --> 01:34:23,598
incorporate some of the good ideas that were raised at that ward four meeting by the public,

831
01:34:29,972 --> 01:34:29,972
and use those ideas to direct the progress in old town, specifically, what we do with

832
01:34:40,749 --> 01:34:40,749
the massive chevrolet property. It's certainly doing no one any good sitting there looking like

833
01:34:46,355 --> 01:34:46,355
a wasteland. I'm delighted to see that we do have some more parking across from the dixie

834
01:34:54,897 --> 01:34:54,897
on that property, but there's a lot more that the city can do, and everything that the city

835
01:35:00,703 --> 01:35:00,703
does there breathes further vitality into old town. Thank you very much, mr. Mayor. Thank

836
01:35:07,843 --> 01:35:07,843
you. Next we have councilman jones. Thank you, mr. Mayor, and thank you for everybody

837
01:35:17,219 --> 01:35:17,219
that's here today. Under the sound of my hoarse voice, what I'm about to say to all of you,

838
01:35:24,394 --> 01:35:24,394
black and white, don't take it personal, don't have no thick skin like the young man said.

839
01:35:30,232 --> 01:35:30,232
but I gotta keep it real. Some of you just moved here and got the nerve to come and tell us.

840
01:35:39,208 --> 01:35:39,208
the citizens on what we're not doing. Let me tell you what hasn't been done in this city

841
01:35:46,382 --> 01:35:46,382
50 years ago. 60 years ago, no leadership ever said in front of anybody in this city and

842
01:35:55,359 --> 01:35:55,359
took care of the issues of infrastructure, education, poverty, nobody. See the reason

843
01:36:04,334 --> 01:36:04,334
why you're bringing it up now? Because we are paying attention to it. And we do listen to our

844
01:36:10,875 --> 01:36:10,875
constituents. Right now. Today there's more getting done. Today, 2026, than when brown

845
01:36:21,352 --> 01:36:21,352
and williamson was here. Then titmus optical was here. And any of those factories, sewer,

846
01:36:26,357 --> 01:36:26,357
luggage and everybody knows nobody with all of that money they was making in this city,

847
01:36:31,762 --> 01:36:31,762
you stayed poor as white people, you stayed poor as black people. And the leadership didn't give

848
01:36:36,266 --> 01:36:36,266
a damn. That leadership didn't give a damn. And we take a beat down because of what somebody

849
01:36:42,206 --> 01:36:42,206
else didn't do for you. Ladies and gentlemen, right around your city again, look at your

850
01:36:47,945 --> 01:36:47,945
city again. There's more happening this year since I've been on council than ever

851
01:36:54,818 --> 01:36:54,818
happened in this damn city. So you can't come up here and say what's not being done because

852
01:36:59,724 --> 01:36:59,724
we're moving forward. And I promised all of you, all of you, that I will hold anybody

853
01:37:05,964 --> 01:37:05,964
accountable. I even said I hold us accountable if I have to do it. Damn it, y'all know I will.

854
01:37:11,336 --> 01:37:11,336
and let me tell you something. Miss mama. Need some more time. I'm going to need some more

855
01:37:20,411 --> 01:37:20,411
time now. I spoke on us plenty of times as being a self-sufficient city. It's not

856
01:37:27,853 --> 01:37:27,853
too late. I don't want us depending on, like miss rudolph said, federal dollars, state

857
01:37:36,495 --> 01:37:36,495
dollars, anybody? Dollars. Y'all got to start doing for yourself. You got to. Let me

858
01:37:43,435 --> 01:37:43,435
tell you something, people. You got to be your own leaders. If something happened to this

859
01:37:47,738 --> 01:37:47,738
whole governing body, what are you going to do? You got to be able to lead yourself. I hear

860
01:37:55,614 --> 01:37:55,614
people say, y'all not building decent houses and y'all not y'all neglecting is what she

861
01:38:03,188 --> 01:38:03,188
said. I ain't building nothing. I don't hold the hammer. These are developers out there that's

862
01:38:10,862 --> 01:38:10,862
building. These are people that's moving in and they're fixing up what has been

863
01:38:15,033 --> 01:38:15,033
neglected. Trust me, it's been neglected, a lot of it. But like, he disappeared. But our

864
01:38:23,676 --> 01:38:23,676
code compliance is moving forward. We're tagging things. We're knocking things down.

865
01:38:27,979 --> 01:38:27,979
listen, y'all, I mean, I gotta say, this money, we want streets built, we want

866
01:38:32,685 --> 01:38:32,685
infrastructure done. We want all of this stuff done, y'all. We want taxes reduced, but it's

867
01:38:36,822 --> 01:38:36,822
going to cost money. It's going to cost y'all money. And we got to be careful how we spend it.

868
01:38:42,796 --> 01:38:42,796
that's why I was hot about the school system not spending money that they have. It's your

869
01:38:47,534 --> 01:38:47,534
money. We don't spend money like it's ours. We look at every dime spent. This is your

870
01:38:52,505 --> 01:38:52,505
money and your money. Money ain't got a black face on it. It do got white face, but it

871
01:38:57,276 --> 01:38:57,276
painted green. But it's still y'all money. It's still y'all money. Now let me say something.

872
01:39:04,851 --> 01:39:04,851
I've learned more about peabody. Out of peabody than I did when I went to peabody. Peabody is a

873
01:39:15,529 --> 01:39:15,529
great school, was a great school. Peabody is the oldest in the nation. Can't refute

874
01:39:22,402 --> 01:39:22,402
that. Peabody, let me read something real quick. Hail to thee. May I have some more time,

875
01:39:34,715 --> 01:39:34,715
mr. Mayor? At this time, garrett, I'm going to defer. Can you just give councilman

876
01:39:39,653 --> 01:39:39,653
jones my five minutes right now? I'm gonna defer my five minutes. Thank you, sir, and two of

877
01:39:47,594 --> 01:39:47,594
councilman westbrook. Seven minutes for councilman jones. We're deferring. Yes. Thank you.

878
01:39:54,468 --> 01:39:54,468
any peabody people in here right now? Raise your hand. Tell me if you remember this.

879
01:40:02,709 --> 01:40:02,709
hail to thee, our alma mater. Peabody. So true. Lord, your sons and your daughters sing.

880
01:40:11,351 --> 01:40:11,351
thy praise is true. For that honor and thy glory we will never, we will ever stand. Hail

881
01:40:17,558 --> 01:40:17,558
to thee, our alma mater. Best in the land. Y'all remember that? You don't remember it?

882
01:40:24,268 --> 01:40:24,268
yeah. They didn't teach it to us neither. Now, let me tell you something. Peabody. I love

883
01:40:33,274 --> 01:40:33,274
this school. I love know, I love what came out of the school. Named after george

884
01:40:40,849 --> 01:40:40,849
peabody, philanthropist george peabody, known for his great academics and legendary

885
01:40:47,321 --> 01:40:47,321
educators. 1954 brown versus board of education. Many schools closed down because

886
01:40:54,262 --> 01:40:54,262
they didn't want to integrate. Something happened and there was a merger and integration,

887
01:41:02,871 --> 01:41:02,871
and it wasn't even voluntary. We was forced to do it here in petersburg. Now, all of this

888
01:41:12,113 --> 01:41:12,113
greatness come out of peabody. Somebody stopped fighting after you got what you wanted. I

889
01:41:19,021 --> 01:41:19,021
gotta tell it like it is, because when I went to peabody, it's a shame that nobody taught

890
01:41:25,493 --> 01:41:25,493
me about the greatness in that school. I feel cheated to this day, I feel cheated. Nobody

891
01:41:33,402 --> 01:41:33,402
told me about the great people that come out of there. Nobody told me how great I could be.

892
01:41:40,942 --> 01:41:40,942
if you told me that I wouldn't have been a father at 13. I would have been looking towards

893
01:41:45,314 --> 01:41:45,314
the greatness that I walked the hallways with nobody. So we have a responsibility, people.

894
01:41:51,020 --> 01:41:51,020
being in leadership is not a sideline sport. The people hire a coach, the coach hired the

895
01:41:58,260 --> 01:41:58,260
players and they play. They go for a touchdown. I've been in peabody. I had to survive. I

896
01:42:07,970 --> 01:42:07,970
think the mayor went to peabody. You had to survive. It wasn't as great as it was when y'all

897
01:42:13,209 --> 01:42:13,209
went there. We had to survive. And to hear this greatness that's coming out of peabody,

898
01:42:17,680 --> 01:42:17,680
you damn right I'm off that it looked like that. We gotta do something about it. But we have

899
01:42:23,620 --> 01:42:23,620
to have an agenda. We have to have money. Where's the money going to come from? I don't

900
01:42:30,726 --> 01:42:30,726
mind doing it. If y'all say, use our money, marlowe, to fix it up. I direct the city

901
01:42:35,999 --> 01:42:35,999
manager right now to use your money to fix it up, but it's coming from out of your pockets,

902
01:42:42,705 --> 01:42:42,705
y'all. Seriously, we have to understand. I don't like people that have been like that, but

903
01:42:48,244 --> 01:42:48,244
let me ask all of you something. When the body dies. Do his memory move on? You just

904
01:42:54,417 --> 01:42:54,417
celebrated martin luther king. He's not here no more. His body is gone, but his dream is to

905
01:43:01,324 --> 01:43:01,324
here. That don't mean you stop being great, does it, peabody? That don't mean we stop being

906
01:43:07,697 --> 01:43:07,697
great. We keep moving forward. Petersburg. Don't y'all get it twisted? There's outside

907
01:43:16,807 --> 01:43:16,807
influences that want us to stay segregated. They want us to stay split up. This is a

908
01:43:22,846 --> 01:43:22,846
melting pot of all kind of people. To the young lady about ice, I don't like what I'm

909
01:43:31,922 --> 01:43:31,922
seeing in our communities. Let me understand. Let you understand something. There are

910
01:43:36,627 --> 01:43:36,627
things happening on the outside that you guys are afraid of happening on the inside. It

911
01:43:41,498 --> 01:43:41,498
ain't happening yet. And I want to tell you, ice in our city does not mean war in our city.

912
01:43:47,037 --> 01:43:47,037
there's legal aid and other places where you can get help and assistance on knowing your

913
01:43:52,443 --> 01:43:52,443
rights. We don't need to take up arms, at least not yet. I don't think we ever had to do

914
01:44:00,884 --> 01:44:00,884
it, but we had to protect each other and give this young lady the where is she at? She need

915
01:44:06,224 --> 01:44:06,224
help. You need to see social services, legal aid. Get all the help you can get. You can

916
01:44:11,328 --> 01:44:11,328
see me after this. You can see the police chief. We got things that we're not doing in our

917
01:44:15,566 --> 01:44:15,566
community. We are going to protect you. And again, if you see something, say something. I

918
01:44:20,871 --> 01:44:20,871
heard somebody say we got seven seats and seven wards. But people, you forgot about the

919
01:44:27,678 --> 01:44:27,678
30,000 people here. It ain't just these seven season seven wards. People want to change

920
01:44:33,952 --> 01:44:33,952
the system. I gotta ask you what you. You know, listen, if you're going to change the

921
01:44:38,023 --> 01:44:38,023
system, it got to be fair for both sides. I don't want to go back to no civil rights

922
01:44:42,961 --> 01:44:42,961
movement. I don't want to go back to no segregation. I don't want to go back to none of that

923
01:44:47,899 --> 01:44:47,899
stuff. If you can't bring it together and tell it and tell it all, then don't even tell it

924
01:44:52,805 --> 01:44:52,805
at all. Don't tell it. Period. We are petersburg, and y'all need to understand that we are

925
01:44:57,575 --> 01:44:57,575
petersburg, black, white, mexican. I don't care where y'all at. Cockroach. Anybody?

926
01:45:03,182 --> 01:45:03,182
we. Petersburg. There's our roaches. I'm not going to let nobody come in and take over

927
01:45:09,855 --> 01:45:09,855
our city. You guys got to do the same thing, man. We got. Listen, when y'all come up to

928
01:45:14,860 --> 01:45:14,860
this podium, bring us some suggestions. All I took was a beat down today, but nobody

929
01:45:22,401 --> 01:45:22,401
said nothing about anything good happening in this city. It's a lot of good going on

930
01:45:28,875 --> 01:45:28,875
here. We got people with brother. What? Raise your hand. What? You got the plant thing

931
01:45:33,679 --> 01:45:33,679
going on? The community garden cleanup. Say that again. Cleanup in pocahontas. We got a

932
01:45:40,452 --> 01:45:40,452
lot of good things going on. And y'all, it's black and white people doing. Don't let the

933
01:45:44,591 --> 01:45:44,591
outside forces tear us apart. We all one piece of fabric, y'all. And I can't have it. I

934
01:45:50,463 --> 01:45:50,463
won't have it. Now. If there's something I'm doing wrong, email me. Don't be like the

935
01:45:55,868 --> 01:45:55,868
lady online. Say I, you took my number down and we ain't talking no more. Email me. Come

936
01:46:00,606 --> 01:46:00,606
see me here. Catch me at the store. Catch me anywhere but talk to us. We don't go out

937
01:46:06,645 --> 01:46:06,645
here and ignore it. If you think we doing this for money, $400 is not enough for

938
01:46:11,451 --> 01:46:11,451
answering phone calls everywhere I go in the store. I think it took me two hours in

939
01:46:16,823 --> 01:46:16,823
the store to get out of there for $400. We don't do it for the money. We do it for the

940
01:46:22,228 --> 01:46:22,228
love. We do love you, petersburg. I didn't run for city council for no doggone

941
01:46:29,403 --> 01:46:29,403
position. Somebody say position. I'm not over doing it for a position. I want to be the

942
01:46:35,142 --> 01:46:35,142
voice to make things better for all of you. Because nobody in the last 50 years has done this.

943
01:46:41,281 --> 01:46:41,281
what we're doing right now, collectively. So I'm asking you guys to do this for me, please.

944
01:46:49,989 --> 01:46:49,989
we need an agenda, not a city council agenda. A petersburg agenda. Agenda on what you want,

945
01:46:57,464 --> 01:46:57,464
how you want it. There's ways to go about it. You want a sub council. We can do that. We

946
01:47:04,371 --> 01:47:04,371
want to put together a group to talk about things, to get it on our plate up here. We can do

947
01:47:09,410 --> 01:47:09,410
that. If you got ideas, email the clerk. It'll get to us. That's my time. Thank y'all so

948
01:47:15,850 --> 01:47:15,850
much. Alright. Thank you, councilman jones. Next we'll go to councilman westbrook with

949
01:47:21,588 --> 01:47:21,588
his three is three representative said about no showers man. Yeah he needs you

950
01:47:28,062 --> 01:47:28,062
want you want two two more. Just 11i gotta tell you about that school system. I'm

951
01:47:34,602 --> 01:47:34,602
surprised at that. But when I, when men and men went into the petersburg high school, we

952
01:47:39,574 --> 01:47:39,574
witnessed something really bad. There were no showers. There were no locker rooms. And we

953
01:47:47,649 --> 01:47:47,649
combined. And we told them, do what you gotta do to get some locker rooms out there for them

954
01:47:52,320 --> 01:47:56,224
kids and get some showers for the kids. Do you know what one school board representative said? And I hope he watching. He said they ain't been taking no showers. Yeah, yeah. So this

955
01:48:03,131 --> 01:48:03,131
is what we're fighting against. But if you ride past petersburg high school now, you're going

956
01:48:07,135 --> 01:48:07,135
to see some showers out there and some trailers out there with brand new locker rooms and

957
01:48:11,306 --> 01:48:11,306
brand new showers in there for all of the kids to be able to enjoy, to take showers in

958
01:48:16,812 --> 01:48:16,812
school, in p.e. After sports. So all these years they've been going to sporting events and

959
01:48:21,750 --> 01:48:21,750
going home funky. This is contributing to the unhealthiness of our city. So

960
01:48:30,525 --> 01:48:33,995
the principal, the superintendent, the mayor, myself, the rest of council, you go past high school, you'll see it. But we gotta stop doing that job for him. We got to. So

961
01:48:40,936 --> 01:48:40,936
I just want to let y'all know this is what we're doing. We're fighting from all angles, but

962
01:48:45,140 --> 01:48:45,140
we're going to get there. We're going to get there. Nobody came back for the little boy. There

963
01:48:49,978 --> 01:48:49,978
was a daddy at 13 years old to tell him about peabody. Tell y'all start talking about here.

964
01:48:54,483 --> 01:48:54,483
that's how we. That's all I got. Thank you. Thank you, councilman westbrook. One

965
01:49:01,090 --> 01:49:01,090
minute. I only need two. I'm gonna keep it straight. I gave up my minutes. So thank you

966
01:49:05,261 --> 01:49:05,261
everybody. Happy start to the calendar year 2026. Imma go fast. Thank you for all that

967
01:49:09,298 --> 01:49:09,298
passion. We all play a role model is the passionate one. I always love to hear him talk

968
01:49:14,137 --> 01:49:14,137
and talk the real truth. But with that I would like to say my condolences to mister

969
01:49:18,207 --> 01:49:18,207
marquis mason, the recreation department director who lost his mom. I shot him out because

970
01:49:23,112 --> 01:49:23,112
he definitely leaves a great marquis allen. I'm sorry, marquis allen. Excuse me? He

971
01:49:29,118 --> 01:49:29,118
leaves a great black history celebration in petersburg. And I know that, all things

972
01:49:33,556 --> 01:49:33,556
considered. You know, we need to get that information. So maybe his staff, miss bland,

973
01:49:39,061 --> 01:49:39,061
mister massenburg, everybody can step up so that we can have a great celebration in

974
01:49:43,966 --> 01:49:43,966
petersburg next month for black history month. Marquis allen, please take your time. My

975
01:49:49,105 --> 01:49:53,076
condolences go out to you. And I'm sure everybody else here under the sound of my voice will do the same. We had a great ward six and seven meeting. I know miss councilman

976
01:49:57,247 --> 01:49:57,247
annette smith lee had to leave, but we did have a great ward six and seven meeting. For the

977
01:50:02,019 --> 01:50:02,019
sake of time, I cut it down. Just say keep coming out. When we do have city council

978
01:50:06,923 --> 01:50:06,923
meetings, I listen, I know they listen. We write down your concerns when you come to our

979
01:50:10,961 --> 01:50:10,961
ward meetings. Or as councilman jones say, you stop us in stores, you stop us everywhere

980
01:50:15,098 --> 01:50:15,098
and talk. We are listening. We are doing what we can to make those things happen. Because as

981
01:50:19,236 --> 01:50:19,236
leaders, we should be able to explain as and see and tell you what we're doing. But listen to

982
01:50:24,474 --> 01:50:24,474
what how we can do things better. And then we have to act with clarity on behalf of with

983
01:50:29,112 --> 01:50:32,549
behalf of the leadership, which starts with the city manager department. Please understand the style of government that we have and that we are council and government working together.

984
01:50:36,553 --> 01:50:36,553
this is not richmond with a strong mayor system. Be careful what you ask for. If that

985
01:50:41,158 --> 01:50:41,158
strong mayor system comes and you have a a tyrant, then what would you want to go back this.

986
01:50:45,529 --> 01:50:45,529
because this is what that council 40 years ago said that they wanted, they wanted the

987
01:50:49,566 --> 01:50:49,566
ward system. So be careful. Be careful what you ask for. I'm a quickly go because time. If you

988
01:50:55,606 --> 01:50:55,606
have been paying attention. Snow is coming this weekend. Mr. City manager warming system

989
01:51:02,212 --> 01:51:02,212
warming stations. I'm a pass over to you. So yes, snow is coming this weekend. We know

990
01:51:07,952 --> 01:51:07,952
it's going to come in. Models are showing we could get double digit double digit inches of

991
01:51:13,424 --> 01:51:13,424
snow. We're working and we haven't had we've begun the conversation of developing a

992
01:51:18,096 --> 01:51:18,096
warming center. We'll have more information as we have further discussions this week as we

993
01:51:22,166 --> 01:51:22,166
prepare for the snow, but we'll let the citizens know if we have one available and where

994
01:51:26,271 --> 01:51:26,271
and what times it will be open. And I just hope that as a city we can be proactive. I always

995
01:51:31,442 --> 01:51:31,442
say, if you know this area, you can start the time again. I'll stay true. Whenever they cannot

996
01:51:36,247 --> 01:51:40,218
predict this early of how many inches we get, we usually get slammed. Whatever they say. Right now we're getting 6 to 8in. We get 2 or 3 right now. They still can't say we can't

997
01:51:45,223 --> 01:51:45,223
predict. So there's a good chance some models are saying up to a foot of snow, please

998
01:51:49,361 --> 01:51:53,098
prepare yourselves and please look out for your neighbors and know when those warming stations are open. Hopefully the homeless and everybody else can go and get help they need

999
01:51:57,101 --> 01:52:00,939
so that we don't have any incidents coming with this snowstorm coming saturday into sunday. Again, for the sake of time, we do listen. So speeding we I know when I got on council

1000
01:52:06,444 --> 01:52:09,915
as well as other people, we've been hearing about speeding. Thanks to mr. Miller for getting some of the rumble strips in seventh ward. They started in downtown. They've

1001
01:52:14,153 --> 01:52:14,153
gotten seventh ward by pleasants lane, so those are hopefully stopping. But that

1002
01:52:18,623 --> 01:52:18,623
crossing double lines and speeding for no reason will you learn to drive? I don't know,

1003
01:52:22,861 --> 01:52:22,861
but that's crazy. And my last business time is that there will be another ward meeting in

1004
01:52:27,166 --> 01:52:27,166
march. And please continue to go petersburg. We create hope up here. I do understand that

1005
01:52:31,770 --> 01:52:31,770
the community needs action, but as marlow said, we got to work together for that action. We

1006
01:52:36,409 --> 01:52:36,409
are policy makers. We cannot truly affect things on a daily day basis, but we are doing

1007
01:52:41,180 --> 01:52:41,180
what we feel is best for petersburg, for the future and look around. It's a great day

1008
01:52:45,251 --> 01:52:45,251
in petersburg. Okay. All right. Councilman w howard myers. Anything? I'm going to keep it

1009
01:52:58,197 --> 01:52:58,197
brief, mr. Mayor. You know. I sit back here and I think about 15 years sitting up here on

1010
01:53:08,508 --> 01:53:08,508
this dais dais, and I listen to what is going on for the last 15 years, 2015, what we have

1011
01:53:18,250 --> 01:53:18,250
reproduced here in the city of petersburg. And there's not much that I can add to what has

1012
01:53:24,957 --> 01:53:24,957
already been stated, because everybody that has something negative to say has left the

1013
01:53:30,397 --> 01:53:30,397
room. And they've never been a part of the 15 years that we have been here, growing this

1014
01:53:40,607 --> 01:53:40,607
city. And I have to say, you keep coming up here talking about I got to elect a mayor.

1015
01:53:45,879 --> 01:53:45,879
who do you know? Who are you going to elect any different than what you already have up

1016
01:53:50,717 --> 01:53:50,717
here? And I'm not saying that to say that you should elect anyone here, but I am just

1017
01:53:58,893 --> 01:53:58,893
saying what is wrong with the mayor that's sitting here now that we have to now change the

1018
01:54:08,068 --> 01:54:08,068
rules to elect a new mayor? I was proud to be mayor when I was mayor. I was proud of him

1019
01:54:13,307 --> 01:54:13,307
as my vice mayor. I'm proud of everybody here. Darren. Who else was on our team when we

1020
01:54:19,379 --> 01:54:19,379
were here? When we started this journey? We were in ruin. And you all were about to be in

1021
01:54:28,323 --> 01:54:28,323
what? Chesterfield. We stopped it. We fixed it, but we don't hear anybody telling us what a

1022
01:54:38,232 --> 01:54:38,232
good job we have done. All we hear is about the negativity, and it is not about anyone

1023
01:54:43,637 --> 01:54:47,608
sitting in this room. Because some of you all have been here through this journey with us, especially you, miss barb rudolph. Don't sit there and hold your head down. We love

1024
01:54:51,913 --> 01:54:51,913
you. Yes we do, but to sit here now, where we have achieved so much, I mean, it's really

1025
01:55:01,555 --> 01:55:01,555
unbelievable where we have come from in 15 years, for 40 years. And I'm going to get on one

1026
01:55:08,096 --> 01:55:08,096
subject and I always say I never, ever wear what I do on my sleeve and I don't. We tore

1027
01:55:13,468 --> 01:55:13,468
down 200 houses in ward five and replaced them, not because the houses were. Oh, they're

1028
01:55:23,978 --> 01:55:23,978
old and they're the best built. No, the bucket touched them. They hit the ground because the

1029
01:55:28,717 --> 01:55:28,717
termites had tore them up so bad they just fell to the ground and we replaced them. We

1030
01:55:33,521 --> 01:55:33,521
filled all of those toothaches in that ward. So we have surpassed all of the

1031
01:55:40,829 --> 01:55:40,829
dilapidated houses, delinquent taxes, all of those things that have. Now we are at a measure

1032
01:55:47,502 --> 01:55:47,502
where we're not $25 million in the hole, but we are 79 million to the plus in less than ten

1033
01:55:55,611 --> 01:55:55,611
years. So when all of those folks come up here before us, they just moved here,

1034
01:56:02,417 --> 01:56:02,417
especially the woman at 203 north jefferson street. Let me be very clear. I used to own

1035
01:56:07,188 --> 01:56:07,188
that house. I renovated it. It's a beautiful house, trust me. So why complain? You have a

1036
01:56:19,702 --> 01:56:19,702
beautiful house. There are other people here who are on a who do not have the income to

1037
01:56:25,508 --> 01:56:25,508
live in a house that you're living in, and affordable housing is important for

1038
01:56:31,647 --> 01:56:31,647
everyone. And we've done that. And so why they want to attack you, mr. Mayor, I don't

1039
01:56:40,957 --> 01:56:40,957
understand why you need do we need to get you elected? Oh, my god, my time is up. Oh,

1040
01:56:49,298 --> 01:56:49,298
election. Oh, I swear to god, before I got on this mic, I said it's election time.

1041
01:56:55,772 --> 01:56:55,772
everybody wants to run for office. Yes, I could care less if I get voted back in office.

1042
01:57:03,346 --> 01:57:03,346
I'm being really honest with you. I'm not going to lie to you. Never will. I said it the

1043
01:57:08,085 --> 01:57:08,085
last time and imma say it again. I do it because I love the city. I moved here from richmond 22

1044
01:57:13,256 --> 01:57:13,256
years ago. Everybody has been good to me, everybody and I cannot complain. So thank you,

1045
01:57:23,801 --> 01:57:23,801
thank you. Yes, tomorrow night, 5:00 am I correct 4:00. Sorry. Food distribution come down

1046
01:57:37,148 --> 01:57:37,148
market street. Turn down river street and get you a grocery basket of food. So come on down.

1047
01:57:45,388 --> 01:57:45,388
thank you very much. Okay. Thank you, vice mayor hill. Yes. Good evening everyone. I think

1048
01:57:55,166 --> 01:57:55,166
everything has been said that probably need to be said. All I would ask is because it's

1049
01:58:01,338 --> 01:58:01,338
election time, y'all. And for our new citizens and people like that every time during

1050
01:58:06,210 --> 01:58:06,210
this time of year, I don't care what election it is, that's what happens. We're just we're

1051
01:58:10,749 --> 01:58:10,749
used to this. And then once the election is over, what things start dying down and what have

1052
01:58:15,486 --> 01:58:15,486
you. But this right here reminds me of the train station, the way it was back in the day.

1053
01:58:22,393 --> 01:58:22,393
and we can't go back to that, y'all. If you if you run your citizens and people got

1054
01:58:26,798 --> 01:58:26,798
something to say and y'all think it's going to be contagious, maybe ask them to

1055
01:58:31,369 --> 01:58:31,369
pull your council person aside and really have a conversation with us. You know, we had ward

1056
01:58:37,308 --> 01:58:37,308
meetings and things of that nature. We put out a lot of information. A lot of times we

1057
01:58:41,679 --> 01:58:41,679
just had a soft opening of the casino today. Some of you are, weren't there, but, you know,

1058
01:58:48,420 --> 01:58:48,420
we went to check it out. It's beautiful. We're not hanging our head on that because we

1059
01:58:53,325 --> 01:58:53,325
know we're more than just a casino. But we were doing things before the casino even

1060
01:58:57,329 --> 01:58:57,329
came here. We were turning the corner before then. As you all know, we got infrastructure

1061
01:59:01,466 --> 01:59:01,466
going on all throughout our city. You know, create a road everywhere. We're fixing pipes

1062
01:59:06,838 --> 01:59:06,838
and and everything. We know we have an old city, and we know we have certain things. When

1063
01:59:12,678 --> 01:59:12,678
you fix something up the street, then another thing will go, go bad down the street from there.

1064
01:59:17,316 --> 01:59:17,316
so that's just that's just the nature of having a historic city. I say this, I think the

1065
01:59:23,656 --> 01:59:23,656
last time all of us, probably except for councilman myers and councilman cutler, all of us

1066
01:59:30,896 --> 01:59:30,896
went to peabody. Everybody up here went to peabody. So when you put the peabody thing out,

1067
01:59:37,036 --> 01:59:37,036
like the way you do, you're preaching to the choir. I went there two years. Most of our

1068
01:59:43,509 --> 01:59:43,509
council members went there two years. You know, you went there three. Yeah. So, you know, I'm

1069
01:59:48,581 --> 01:59:48,581
just saying. And I spoke to a developer, a local developer today about peabody today. So

1070
01:59:56,856 --> 01:59:56,856
it is on our radar. We do want to do something with the building. It has to be

1071
02:00:01,894 --> 02:00:01,894
something that makes sense to all of us. That same group did have peabody. They had peabody.

1072
02:00:09,802 --> 02:00:09,802
we we turned it over to them. They had it. The peabody alumni, they had peabody. But then we

1073
02:00:18,777 --> 02:00:18,777
had to take it back because it couldn't keep it up. So don't get it twisted. You know, it

1074
02:00:24,817 --> 02:00:24,817
ain't like they ain't never had it. So, you know, but we're not I don't want to throw darts at

1075
02:00:29,822 --> 02:00:29,822
anybody because that's not my style. We're all one. Petersburg. And I thank

1076
02:00:35,695 --> 02:00:35,695
everybody for their passion and what have you. But it is an election season and everybody

1077
02:00:41,234 --> 02:00:41,234
just trying to do throw dirt on top of it. When my two years come up or whatever, they'll be

1078
02:00:46,639 --> 02:00:46,639
doing the same thing. And it's because we've been here long enough and we know. And so and

1079
02:00:51,945 --> 02:00:51,945
I do want us to know this when we have new people coming to the city and new people that's

1080
02:00:57,984 --> 02:00:57,984
coming to work for the city, they're looking at y'all. They're not always looking at

1081
02:01:03,690 --> 02:01:03,690
us. They're looking at how the residents react. Do I really want to come here? You know, do

1082
02:01:11,031 --> 02:01:11,031
I really want to come to a city council meeting every day, whereas contagious or something

1083
02:01:15,835 --> 02:01:15,835
like that? So, I mean, I we can do better and we're better than this petersburg. And I know I'm

1084
02:01:21,741 --> 02:01:21,741
preaching to the choir because everybody they say what they said and then they left and

1085
02:01:26,914 --> 02:01:26,914
what have you. And I, you know, all of us growing up in here, that's what I can see. And

1086
02:01:31,685 --> 02:01:31,685
nobody needs a lecture and all that. But this right here is it's too much, y'all. It's too

1087
02:01:37,659 --> 02:01:37,659
much. I'm born and raised in this city. Like somebody said, I raised my children in this

1088
02:01:43,731 --> 02:01:43,731
city, got married in this city, church in this city, all that. So, you know, and that's not

1089
02:01:50,904 --> 02:01:50,904
taking nothing away from anybody who. Came here from somewhere else. We're glad that

1090
02:01:58,446 --> 02:01:58,446
you're here. We really are. It ain't no them and us, but we're glad that you're here. But

1091
02:02:03,918 --> 02:02:03,918
let's speak life and not death, because life and death lies in the power of the tongue. Be

1092
02:02:11,459 --> 02:02:11,459
careful what you speak, because it will come to pass. You are planting seeds when you speak,

1093
02:02:17,966 --> 02:02:21,903
negativity when you speak bad. We've been speaking good, and everybody else can see everything we're doing in the state and the region. They see everything we're doing, meaning

1094
02:02:28,142 --> 02:02:28,142
we, meaning you all and us because we're not doing it by ourselves. But it seemed like

1095
02:02:32,714 --> 02:02:32,714
some of our own people can't see it. Every street you go down, you see a new house or a

1096
02:02:38,086 --> 02:02:38,086
renovation or construction coming up. You see the streets being cleaned and everything. I

1097
02:02:43,592 --> 02:02:43,592
know he said something about working the road, but that used to be my area. The street

1098
02:02:47,829 --> 02:02:47,829
sweeper has been on wagner road before. We take care of that. It's been paved a couple of

1099
02:02:52,567 --> 02:02:52,567
times on one side and the other side on wagner before the casino was there. So everybody

1100
02:02:58,440 --> 02:02:58,440
have a blessed day and be safe this weekend. I hear some other stuff to say, but you know,

1101
02:03:05,113 --> 02:03:05,113
y'all, y'all just don't know that this right here this is a rough one today. Thank you, mr.

1102
02:03:09,752 --> 02:03:09,752
mayor. Okay. Thank you, vice mayor hill. At this time, I donated most of my my look,

1103
02:03:15,523 --> 02:03:15,523
donated my time to councilman jones for his comments tonight. So at this time, I just want to

1104
02:03:20,830 --> 02:03:20,830
thank everybody for coming out and just want to make some recognitions. First of all, we

1105
02:03:24,967 --> 02:03:24,967
have our treasurer in the back, paul mullen, who just got elected chair of the petersburg

1106
02:03:30,239 --> 02:03:30,239
democrat committee. So congratulations to paul. Also have have an outstanding

1107
02:03:39,248 --> 02:03:39,248
gentleman joining the petersburg team. I want to welcome mr. Jeff stokes here,

1108
02:03:44,687 --> 02:03:44,687
who's going to be coming on as deputy city manager here in petersburg, who has an

1109
02:03:50,459 --> 02:03:50,459
extensive, extensive history, multiple years of experience. And we're looking forward to to

1110
02:03:55,131 --> 02:03:55,131
him adding and definitely jumping in to this, our economic development front to

1111
02:04:01,971 --> 02:04:01,971
expand a lot of the development that's going on throughout the city and also use some of his

1112
02:04:07,844 --> 02:04:07,844
operational experience that that he's had for many years. So, jeff, we welcome you and

1113
02:04:13,517 --> 02:04:13,517
happy to have you on and looking forward to to a many great things. He's he's

1114
02:04:19,289 --> 02:04:19,289
somebody that I know and know personally. I've seen what he's done in prince george with

1115
02:04:23,294 --> 02:04:23,294
bringing lego down there multiple the loves down on fort 60, the wendy's, the hardee's I

1116
02:04:29,732 --> 02:04:29,732
I've seen him bring all of those those those developments and even built a new school

1117
02:04:34,871 --> 02:04:34,871
down there in prince george. So, jeff, we're happy to have you aboard and looking forward to

1118
02:04:38,942 --> 02:04:38,942
working with you. Sorry you came in on a day like today, though. I'm apologize for all

1119
02:04:45,616 --> 02:04:45,616
of us. That's not a way to welcome a new deputy city manager. But thank you, mr.

1120
02:04:51,388 --> 02:04:51,388
mayor. All right. Thank you. Next, we move on to item 12. Items removed from the consent

1121
02:04:56,327 --> 02:04:56,327
agenda. No items tonight. Next is finance and budget report from the department of finance,

1122
02:05:02,465 --> 02:05:02,465
mr. Gary cozier, with the monthly update. Excuse me. Hello. Good evening. Gary

1123
02:05:10,742 --> 02:05:10,742
cozier, budget manager. So very quick report. Just a couple of slides before you here today.

1124
02:05:18,716 --> 02:05:18,716
monthly budget to actuals as the end of december. So these budget actuals will cover the

1125
02:05:26,624 --> 02:05:26,624
first half of the fiscal year. So 50% of the year completed spend overall under our under

1126
02:05:33,231 --> 02:05:33,231
our general fund we are at 45% of spend. So that is under the 50% spend. So tracking really

1127
02:05:39,736 --> 02:05:39,736
good there. Here are our other departments basically all under 50% except from dogwood. But

1128
02:05:46,478 --> 02:05:50,315
dogwood is a little bit different because dogwood operates off of its own revenues. So that's still okay. And I believe that that's all. So overall we're tracking

1129
02:05:56,787 --> 02:05:56,787
really good. There's no overspending or anything like that going on. And as you heard

1130
02:06:01,793 --> 02:06:01,793
earlier, our fund balance is increasing. So pretty pretty pretty well thank you. Okay.

1131
02:06:13,405 --> 02:06:13,405
all right, councilman cooper thank you, mr. Mayor. Was it at this meeting that. Funds that

1132
02:06:27,453 --> 02:06:27,453
were used for operating budget for the. Expansion and also all capital. The administration was

1133
02:06:45,871 --> 02:06:45,871
going to get back to us. And I thought it was you, and I thought it was today. But I may

1134
02:06:50,909 --> 02:06:50,909
be wrong on both scores. Fortunately, I wasn't here at the last meeting, but we will

1135
02:06:54,947 --> 02:06:54,947
have that for you at the next at the next work session. That'd be great. The question

1136
02:06:59,152 --> 02:06:59,152
is, what the operating budget of petersburg area transit for a minute. What percent of that

1137
02:07:07,326 --> 02:07:07,326
operating budget is funded by the citizens of petersburg? The city of petersburg has, excuse

1138
02:07:14,700 --> 02:07:14,700
me, a 4% local match. There is a 68% share from the federal government, a 28% share from

1139
02:07:22,976 --> 02:07:22,976
the state and 4% for the city of petersburg. Now that's our operating budget, I believe.

1140
02:07:28,981 --> 02:07:28,981
correct? Yes. Now we really have two budgets that are it's the same for capital. It's the

1141
02:07:33,620 --> 02:07:33,620
same breakdown. I thought I remembered in the fall that we talked about borrowing millions

1142
02:07:40,993 --> 02:07:40,993
of dollars for new rolling stock. Yeah. So that's on a case by case basis. I mean, if

1143
02:07:48,801 --> 02:07:48,801
there was a grant specifically being went after for rolling stock, it wouldn't fall under

1144
02:07:54,975 --> 02:07:54,975
that same reimbursement schedule. Well, how much of the I guess the three budgets then

1145
02:08:03,884 --> 02:08:03,884
there's an operating budget and a, a capital budget. And this rolling stock budget is is that

1146
02:08:09,723 --> 02:08:09,723
what I'm hearing? No, it wouldn't have a budget necessarily. But I mean, like

1147
02:08:14,661 --> 02:08:14,661
if they were applying for a grant, the grant that they're applying for will have its own

1148
02:08:18,965 --> 02:08:18,965
terms requiring what the match would be for the locality. Well, let's see, mr. City manager,

1149
02:08:26,406 --> 02:08:26,406
would you look into this further and let us know at the next meeting? I thought that we

1150
02:08:31,244 --> 02:08:31,244
were taking on some long term debt in order to buy more rolling stone. So we will we

1151
02:08:39,152 --> 02:08:39,152
will have a higher I believe, if I remember correctly, we'll have higher than a 4% match on

1152
02:08:43,623 --> 02:08:43,623
the rolling stock that's under a different grant, not the the formula formulaic of federal,

1153
02:08:52,166 --> 02:08:52,166
state and local. When we're dealing in that terms, it's a 4% match. Other grants have us

1154
02:08:57,204 --> 02:08:57,204
having having having a higher match because there may not be federal or state money involved.

1155
02:09:01,375 --> 02:09:01,375
but we can we can get those numbers and bring them back to you. Well, that's great because

1156
02:09:05,679 --> 02:09:05,679
I, I wish I could be specific in my recollection, I can't, but I thought it was a pretty,

1157
02:09:10,551 --> 02:09:10,551
you know, a significant number. Not I mean, I think if I remember correctly, we're it's

1158
02:09:15,089 --> 02:09:15,089
about $1 million of a match on the rolling stock that we would in getting the the order that

1159
02:09:21,963 --> 02:09:21,963
we were looking at when we had that discussion back, summertime, maybe it was it was

1160
02:09:27,836 --> 02:09:27,836
about $1 million local match in order to place the order for the busses and move forward. At

1161
02:09:34,175 --> 02:09:34,175
that time, council authorized us to move forward, and we're going to budget that match as

1162
02:09:39,047 --> 02:09:39,047
part of the upcoming budget year. But it'll be specific, grant specific, but we'll bring

1163
02:09:44,653 --> 02:09:44,653
that number back for you. That'd be great if you could bring that to us at our work

1164
02:09:48,824 --> 02:09:48,824
session in february. That'd be super. Yes, sir. Thank you. And thank you, mr. Crosier. Thank

1165
02:09:52,895 --> 02:09:52,895
you, mr. Mayor. Okay. Thank you. All right, mr. Kocher, any other items? No, no. All right.

1166
02:10:00,869 --> 02:10:00,869
thank you so much for the presentation. All right. Next we have item 14, unfinished

1167
02:10:07,009 --> 02:10:10,780
business resolution authorizing the city manager to amend the development agreement between the city of petersburg and new development, llc for the properties at 851 east bank

1168
02:10:15,784 --> 02:10:15,784
street, 1420 ferndale avenue, 1162 hinton street, 417 south jefferson street, 921 primm

1169
02:10:23,926 --> 02:10:23,926
street, 1150 rome street. 201 terrace avenue, petersburg, virginia 238032 extract. The

1170
02:10:31,500 --> 02:10:31,500
reverted date, mr. Moore. Yes. Good evening, mr. Mayor. Vice mayor, members of council, mr.

1171
02:10:38,340 --> 02:10:38,340
william zimmer is here to ask for reverter clause be taken out of his particular

1172
02:10:44,447 --> 02:10:44,447
properties. He is here now and will give you a brief presentation. And after that

1173
02:10:48,851 --> 02:10:52,455
presentation, if you'll kindly open the public hearing. Excuse me. There's no public hearing on this one. I'm sorry. Good evening. Council, I'm william zimmer with new development. So

1174
02:11:03,066 --> 02:11:03,066
we're here because the reverter clause in the original development agreement has

1175
02:11:09,572 --> 02:11:09,572
caused a barrier to financing for us. So we're requesting that the revised development

1176
02:11:18,248 --> 02:11:18,248
agreement that was proposed be approved. And so essentially, you know, what the revisions do

1177
02:11:28,625 --> 02:11:28,625
is allow our lender to finance the construction of the project. And with that in place, these

1178
02:11:35,165 --> 02:11:35,165
lots can move forward as homes, tax revenue and neighborhood improvement. This revised

1179
02:11:43,706 --> 02:11:43,706
agreement keeps the city's protections in these protections govern our

1180
02:11:50,180 --> 02:11:50,180
obligations as a developer. So still 12 month build period. No sale before a home is completed.

1181
02:11:59,590 --> 02:11:59,590
obviously, city inspections, certifications, all that good stuff. So we appreciate your

1182
02:12:06,363 --> 02:12:06,363
consideration and I'm happy to answer any questions. Okay. Yes, mr. Williams, and just to

1183
02:12:12,870 --> 02:12:12,870
clarify, between the two statements that were made by mr. Moore and the developer, as

1184
02:12:19,776 --> 02:12:19,776
I read the proposed revised development agreement, they're not actually asking you to

1185
02:12:25,216 --> 02:12:25,216
remove the reverter clause. They're actually asking to allow the lenders to have

1186
02:12:30,888 --> 02:12:30,888
priority over the city's reverter clause, which is a little less drastic in the

1187
02:12:37,295 --> 02:12:37,295
package that's highlighted where those changes occur. I did put a couple of comments in

1188
02:12:42,767 --> 02:12:42,767
red that I would suggest adding to that to soften it a bit in terms of the city's exposure,

1189
02:12:50,708 --> 02:12:50,708
but I think he's accurately described what they're requesting. Yeah, I mean, it's

1190
02:12:56,881 --> 02:12:56,881
basically subordinating, you know, it's putting the lender in first position on the lots.

1191
02:13:03,988 --> 02:13:03,988
yeah. Okay. All right. Yeah. Thank you, mr. Jones. Councilman jones thank you, mr.

1192
02:13:10,862 --> 02:13:10,862
mayor. Teaching moment right now. Okay. Sometimes I don't follow. And if I don't follow,

1193
02:13:19,704 --> 02:13:19,704
I know there's some people out there watching that don't follow. Absolutely. So help me

1194
02:13:24,076 --> 02:13:24,076
understand, as a developer, because there may be somebody out there that want to develop

1195
02:13:30,114 --> 02:13:30,114
some of these properties like you doing. Sure. You said. The reverter clause is keeping you

1196
02:13:38,224 --> 02:13:38,224
from financing. I want to know the mindset of when you chose these properties to purchase.

1197
02:13:48,666 --> 02:13:48,666
was the mindset I get the properties didn't get financing or was it already got financed?

1198
02:13:58,043 --> 02:13:58,043
let me get it. Let me go on and do it. What was the mindset? And because don't just tell me

1199
02:14:03,115 --> 02:14:03,115
that, but tell the public because we want to redo this clause. But I want to get my

1200
02:14:12,858 --> 02:14:12,858
head wrapped around the fact that when we sell these properties, are we selling it

1201
02:14:17,096 --> 02:14:17,096
to people that got the money up front to go on and fix them? Or we sell them to people with

1202
02:14:22,235 --> 02:14:22,235
hopes of getting financing from somebody else. Therefore, if you don't get your financing,

1203
02:14:28,308 --> 02:14:28,308
it'll sit there anyway, like it did before. Let me help teach the public, please. Sure. So,

1204
02:14:32,945 --> 02:14:32,945
you know, we have the money to actually purchase the properties, but we're talking

1205
02:14:37,917 --> 02:14:37,917
about, you know, a couple million dollars in development costs that we we don't have,

1206
02:14:43,656 --> 02:14:43,656
you know, just laying around. So most banks require a first position lien when they lend,

1207
02:14:53,466 --> 02:14:53,466
especially for construction. So, you know, we went to several different lenders. We landed on

1208
02:15:00,573 --> 02:15:00,573
the one that we typically use. All of them said basically the same thing though. So I mean,

1209
02:15:07,514 --> 02:15:07,514
it's different if you're buying maybe one property and you're putting say, you know, you're

1210
02:15:14,354 --> 02:15:14,354
buying it for the assessed value, let's just call it 5000. So you're looking for funding

1211
02:15:19,159 --> 02:15:19,159
for a total. Yeah, for a total not just each individual one that's separate. So for a total

1212
02:15:24,898 --> 02:15:24,898
okay. Yeah. It's for the total seven. Yeah I mean we're going to do it in or. Yeah two phases.

1213
02:15:29,736 --> 02:15:29,736
so we'll build four and then three within one year. One last question. When you get your

1214
02:15:38,846 --> 02:15:38,846
financing looking at these properties as they're in different wards right. Which

1215
02:15:44,451 --> 02:15:44,451
ones have priority on you working on first. Is it going by the condition of the

1216
02:15:52,159 --> 02:15:52,159
property or. Well they're so they're all it's all raw land. So we're really going off of

1217
02:16:00,001 --> 02:16:00,001
three of them will be single story and four will be two story. So I believe we're

1218
02:16:07,007 --> 02:16:07,007
starting with the three single story and then one. Two story. Are you already working on the

1219
02:16:16,217 --> 02:16:16,217
bank street? One on the corner? No, sir. That's all I got, mr. Mayor. Thank you. Okay. Thank

1220
02:16:23,991 --> 02:16:23,991
you, thank you. Yeah, absolutely. All right, vice mayor hill, I'm sorry we don't

1221
02:16:31,665 --> 02:16:31,665
have to open up for public comment. Yeah. So basically, they let the citizens know.

1222
02:16:37,571 --> 02:16:37,571
bacally, when we do, we have a reverter clause. If they don't do what they say they do,

1223
02:16:43,226 --> 02:16:43,226
then we can revert, take it back. But the bank said in order for them to get finance

1224
02:16:47,997 --> 02:16:47,997
that they have to be the next one up and then we come. So with that being said, I'd like

1225
02:16:54,204 --> 02:16:54,204
to move that we approve the authorization of the city manager to amend the

1226
02:17:00,611 --> 02:17:00,611
development agreement between the city of petersburg, new wave development llc and the

1227
02:17:08,519 --> 02:17:08,519
properties of 851 east bank street, 1420 ferndale avenue. 11 662 hinton street, 417 south

1228
02:17:19,997 --> 02:17:19,997
jefferson street, 921 prime street, 1150 rome street. 201 terrace avenue, petersburg,

1229
02:17:30,474 --> 02:17:30,474
virginia 23803 that is my motion, right. Councilman myers second motion a second at this

1230
02:17:38,783 --> 02:17:38,783
time is here. Could you please call the roll council member cuthbert? I'm voting no. I

1231
02:17:42,786 --> 02:17:42,786
think it's a bad precedent. Yes. Council member jones, I, council member. Myers. Council

1232
02:17:51,095 --> 02:17:51,095
member. Westbrook. Aye. Council member. Smith. Vice mayor. Hill. Aye. Mayor I that motion

1233
02:17:58,636 --> 02:17:58,636
carries. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Guys. Next is item 15. New business. No items tonight.

1234
02:18:06,410 --> 02:18:06,410
next is the city manager's report and special reports, mr. Altman, one. I want to urge all

1235
02:18:15,086 --> 02:18:15,086
of our citizens to keep an eye on the weather. As we talked earlier, it could be very

1236
02:18:21,894 --> 02:18:21,894
significant this weekend. So please keep an eye on the weather. And if you need to

1237
02:18:26,064 --> 02:18:26,064
start getting prepared for that, it will occur over the weekend. So I urge everyone to begin

1238
02:18:30,703 --> 02:18:30,703
their preparations now. We will be having a call tomorrow morning at nine to begin our

1239
02:18:36,374 --> 02:18:39,310
preparations, and I know we've already started those discussions internally with within departments. On a personal note, I want to thank all the members of council.

1240
02:18:47,151 --> 02:18:47,151
some of you may not know at the last meeting I wasn't here and well, you may know because you

1241
02:18:53,225 --> 02:18:53,225
saw mr. Miller was here. We had a family medical emergency at 11:00, which prevented me from

1242
02:19:01,165 --> 02:19:01,165
coming. But I have to say, I really do appreciate all members of council support,

1243
02:19:06,205 --> 02:19:06,205
thoughts, prayers and your willingness to provide me the flexibility to kind of balance

1244
02:19:10,608 --> 02:19:10,608
family home life during that period. The good news is, after being on a waiting list for

1245
02:19:15,614 --> 02:19:15,614
several years, my mother in law had a kidney replacement, so and it's doing very well. But.

1246
02:19:21,320 --> 02:19:21,320
and thank you. But I have to say, most people don't know, but when you work with a group

1247
02:19:29,295 --> 02:19:29,295
of people who support you and the comments that I get back or hey, we're family, that is not

1248
02:19:35,701 --> 02:19:35,701
common everywhere that you work. And I do want to thank all of you publicly for the support

1249
02:19:40,105 --> 02:19:40,105
you provided. I really do appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Councilman jones, your

1250
02:19:45,044 --> 02:19:45,044
the question. Yes, sir. Mr. City manager. With this weather coming up, I want to make a

1251
02:19:53,653 --> 02:19:53,653
statement on our public safety. Individuals and departments are already out there working the

1252
02:20:03,863 --> 02:20:03,863
streets, doing their jobs. I seen so many out today. Just professional, doing their jobs.

1253
02:20:19,445 --> 02:20:19,445
I mentioned that the last council meeting about public works, being the first

1254
02:20:25,485 --> 02:20:25,485
responder, considered a first responder department. Because without them, a lot of our jobs

1255
02:20:35,228 --> 02:20:35,228
and their jobs would be hard to do. Without them, our citizens would not be able to get from a

1256
02:20:43,971 --> 02:20:43,971
to b without them. We have so much more infrastructure issues. I've seen these people working

1257
02:20:52,479 --> 02:20:52,479
in the mud, ladies and gentlemen, they were in the mud, in the hole feeling for the

1258
02:20:58,251 --> 02:20:58,251
leak and actually patched it. Now this is some military grade stuff that my eyes have

1259
02:21:05,692 --> 02:21:05,692
witnessed. And I'm saying this because I want you to consider strongly. At least a 3% raise

1260
02:21:18,138 --> 02:21:18,138
for that group, because we gave all of our first responders raises. These people, we they

1261
02:21:24,211 --> 02:21:27,915
come here just like the police had the issue. The fire department had issue. We give them raises, they train, we train them, and they leave and go somewhere else. But now they

1262
02:21:33,220 --> 02:21:33,220
got a home. Police got a home. We're not letting y'all go. Fire got a home. We're not

1263
02:21:38,759 --> 02:21:38,759
letting y'all go. But we're losing public works people or getting ready to, from what I

1264
02:21:44,865 --> 02:21:44,865
hear. Please save em now, people. This y'all money. It ain't black dollars, ain't

1265
02:21:52,607 --> 02:21:52,607
white dollars, it's green dollars. It's your dollars. They help us get around this

1266
02:21:58,679 --> 02:21:58,679
city. Somebody told me today about a pothole across from the post office. You know, please

1267
02:22:06,254 --> 02:22:06,254
consider that public works department. I mean, outstanding operating heavy equipment. And

1268
02:22:12,027 --> 02:22:12,027
we lost one in brooklyn manor for a whole day, almost. And they didn't go home until the

1269
02:22:17,866 --> 02:22:17,866
water was, was restored. So I think we need to definitely look into it. That's that's my

1270
02:22:23,838 --> 02:22:23,838
statement for that. So as a a grandson of a director of public works, the stepson of a

1271
02:22:32,880 --> 02:22:32,880
deputy director of public works, I can assure you that our public works people are first

1272
02:22:39,020 --> 02:22:39,020
responders. If they are not there. Now, if you go down sycamore across from comeback

1273
02:22:44,793 --> 02:22:44,793
burger, there may be a hole in the ground right now because we have a water line leak. Once

1274
02:22:49,064 --> 02:22:49,064
again, this is deja vu all over again for me. But same thing about the same place. In 20

1275
02:22:55,937 --> 02:22:55,937
1718 we had a leak there, so they are there and they are going to be there in the bitter

1276
02:23:01,410 --> 02:23:01,410
cold of tonight working through those. And they are absolutely first responders. And I think

1277
02:23:06,681 --> 02:23:06,681
the steps that council has taken thus far, helping reduce costs for insurance and the pay

1278
02:23:12,588 --> 02:23:12,588
class comp study that we implemented, we we need to continue moving forward. But I

1279
02:23:16,826 --> 02:23:16,826
think those are helping us. But absolutely, we will consider I appreciate that, and I'm glad

1280
02:23:21,831 --> 02:23:21,831
that you said exactly what you said, man, because I want to make a motion not for a raise

1281
02:23:29,305 --> 02:23:29,305
because I know that's going to that's going to come because I asked for it. But I want to

1282
02:23:34,377 --> 02:23:34,377
make a motion that in the future, starting today, that we consider our public works as

1283
02:23:41,751 --> 02:23:41,751
first responders officially. So when we give raises to first responders, they're included in

1284
02:23:48,925 --> 02:23:48,925
those raises. So I want to make a motion, mr. Mayor, that we consider our first our public

1285
02:23:56,766 --> 02:23:56,766
works and streets as first responders. Now that now that, ladies and gentlemen, they're

1286
02:24:02,138 --> 02:24:02,138
not first responders on the level of fire and police, they ain't going to run a no

1287
02:24:06,209 --> 02:24:06,209
building or chase no bullets or bad guys, but they will fix your streets so they can drive

1288
02:24:11,381 --> 02:24:11,381
down and catch them. They. Marlo, can I interject with you? Yes. So do you think about it

1289
02:24:18,888 --> 02:24:18,888
2:00 in the morning and it's zero degrees outside and they're down in the hole. They

1290
02:24:23,459 --> 02:24:27,198
are down in the hole. And that's the. Those are the things you need to. Yes, sir. Point out. Okay. Yes, sir. Not just your streets. Well, they are digging down in the street.

1291
02:24:31,301 --> 02:24:31,301
alright. I did mention that. How they feeling for the whole. What the hell are you. Right.

1292
02:24:36,006 --> 02:24:36,006
exactly right. So I just want to make that motion that we include them in the future as

1293
02:24:40,277 --> 02:24:40,277
first responders, not the level of police and fire, but they offer as responders for the

1294
02:24:45,882 --> 02:24:45,882
city. I make that motion. All right. Vice mayor hill, second motion a second. Miss hill, can

1295
02:24:53,023 --> 02:24:53,023
you please call the roll council member? Cuthbert, I think we need to think about

1296
02:24:58,329 --> 02:24:58,329
the consequences of what we're talking about. Everybody appreciates public works,

1297
02:25:03,167 --> 02:25:03,167
including me. But the consequence of the water running down the street, I mean,

1298
02:25:09,807 --> 02:25:09,807
this idea is come before us about two minutes ago. Is this in order? I mean, can we take

1299
02:25:16,147 --> 02:25:16,147
can we just make motions out of thin air and, and vote on them? As a city councilman, he can do

1300
02:25:21,452 --> 02:25:21,452
whatever he wants to do, just like you, councilman. This is. Yes. This was just a title

1301
02:25:28,994 --> 02:25:28,994
change to first responders. Is is is to be included in the realm of a second tier of first

1302
02:25:38,603 --> 02:25:38,603
responders because of the essential actions that public works perform. And next, I'm

1303
02:25:43,208 --> 02:25:43,208
gonna defer to mr. Tony williams. I suggest you consider it a directive to the

1304
02:25:48,080 --> 02:25:48,080
city manager to bring back necessary documentation to implement what councilman jones

1305
02:25:52,851 --> 02:25:52,851
is indicating, because I think that requiring some clarity. I think you're right. You can

1306
02:25:58,022 --> 02:25:58,022
certainly identify them as first responder. But I think there's some things you want to

1307
02:26:02,827 --> 02:26:02,827
put in place to make sure that you're covering your bases. Because the state code has some

1308
02:26:07,899 --> 02:26:07,899
specific language that pertains to benefits that first responders have, that others do

1309
02:26:14,372 --> 02:26:18,010
not have. You know, they have the police officer's bill of rights, the firefighters bill of rights, and things like that. So I think we can call them that as a city and we can give

1310
02:26:23,081 --> 02:26:23,081
them certain benefits. But I think the manager should bring you maybe an ordinance

1311
02:26:27,286 --> 02:26:31,189
amendment to that effect. Perfect. Councilman, are you okay with them bringing it back? Yes, I think that's a good idea. I think that's a business like way to proceed. Wonderful.

1312
02:26:34,993 --> 02:26:34,993
thank you. Councilman jones, are you okay with the. I'm not okay with it because the state

1313
02:26:39,598 --> 02:26:39,598
code says what the state code says. So if it don't say anything about this level of

1314
02:26:43,635 --> 02:26:43,635
first responders, then it don't say nothing about it. So if the police get raises, I mean, get

1315
02:26:48,607 --> 02:26:48,607
benefits and and things of that nature, of course, public works won't get it. I mean, they

1316
02:26:53,178 --> 02:26:53,178
understand that. We understand that. But the thing is, locally, as a city, they are all first

1317
02:27:00,086 --> 02:27:00,086
responders all the way around. Right? You know, so all I'm asking is for to put them in

1318
02:27:05,458 --> 02:27:05,458
that category for the future when we consider giving first responders raises, there's a

1319
02:27:11,197 --> 02:27:11,197
tier. You got fire, you got police, and you got public works and streets division.

1320
02:27:16,335 --> 02:27:16,335
without them, it'll be so difficult for any of these guys to do their job. Right. And

1321
02:27:21,975 --> 02:27:21,975
councilman jones, and can we have the city manager just bring all that back out so we

1322
02:27:26,379 --> 02:27:26,379
can have it in front of us for the public, just, you know, so we can build it into this, this

1323
02:27:32,418 --> 02:27:32,418
current budget that we're building for 2627, mr. Altman. And it may be in speaking with

1324
02:27:40,393 --> 02:27:40,393
reference to what the city attorney is talking about, it may be just a designation.

1325
02:27:45,031 --> 02:27:45,031
that's a policy statement that we consider dpw as a first responder, but not necessarily

1326
02:27:51,571 --> 02:27:51,571
under the definition of what's in the state code that has brings all this additional and

1327
02:27:57,577 --> 02:27:57,577
another community. When we did raises, we did consider dpw as a first responder. So we kind

1328
02:28:04,050 --> 02:28:04,050
of made sure that they were taken care of at the same level that we did police and fire.

1329
02:28:08,355 --> 02:28:08,355
and then we had all the administration. So we'll take that and we'll bring something

1330
02:28:12,627 --> 02:28:12,627
back for your consideration. All right. So first of all, I'm okay with what our legal

1331
02:28:17,831 --> 02:28:17,831
counsel is saying and I'm okay with bringing it back. But I just don't want y'all don't

1332
02:28:23,537 --> 02:28:23,537
understand. If you haven't worked out in zero degree weather, getting wet where

1333
02:28:30,144 --> 02:28:30,144
everybody else is at home sleeping. If you haven't fought fire in 20 degrees below 20

1334
02:28:37,617 --> 02:28:37,617
degrees below zero with icicles coming off your helmets where everybody sleep. If you haven't

1335
02:28:43,792 --> 02:28:43,792
been on the beach. Wearing a badge. When your life is at stake. Every every moment

1336
02:28:51,399 --> 02:28:51,399
you're out there on the street. You don't know who your enemies are. Where everybody's at home

1337
02:28:57,071 --> 02:28:57,071
asleep. But these people are in the grit. Keeping our city operational. Seriously. So I'm

1338
02:29:09,617 --> 02:29:09,617
okay with bringing it back. Councilman jones, always remember, you can suspend the

1339
02:29:16,490 --> 02:29:16,490
rules of council. Say that one more time. I'm still learning, y'all. You can suspend the

1340
02:29:23,031 --> 02:29:23,031
rules of council and make your motion. He. He made the motion. Councilman jones, if I may, mr.

1341
02:29:32,674 --> 02:29:32,674
mayor, vice mayor, sometimes, you know, we we we we make decisions. And I know we like

1342
02:29:42,083 --> 02:29:42,083
to carry things back and study and and stuff like that. All he is he asking for a title. You

1343
02:29:47,155 --> 02:29:47,155
can bring back the all the stuff. What's going to go with the title then? So how about we

1344
02:29:52,027 --> 02:29:52,027
vote on the motion to make them first responders? And then with the provisions you put within?

1345
02:29:59,034 --> 02:29:59,034
I mean, we're always talking about, you know, it's not good business to do this, not good

1346
02:30:03,138 --> 02:30:03,138
business to do that. But we've done some things and I won't go there. But if you want to make

1347
02:30:12,647 --> 02:30:12,647
this and you got a motion on the floor, you want to make them first responders

1348
02:30:18,354 --> 02:30:18,354
considered as first responders. I don't mind us taking a motion now and then. Then the city

1349
02:30:24,593 --> 02:30:24,593
manager can come back with, what does that mean? Are you asking for is a title right now?

1350
02:30:31,033 --> 02:30:31,033
so, mr. Mayor, if I'm in order, can you call the vote? My motion stands and my second

1351
02:30:37,506 --> 02:30:37,506
stand. All right. Miss, can you please call the roll council member jones I council member

1352
02:30:46,749 --> 02:30:46,749
westbrook. Council member. Myers. Vice mayor I mayor I. I will go back to councilman

1353
02:31:03,500 --> 02:31:03,500
cuthbert. Yes. No, we've been okay. All right. That's all we need. That's all we need. Wait

1354
02:31:09,638 --> 02:31:09,638
a minute. No. We've been given good advice by the city attorney and the city manager,

1355
02:31:14,176 --> 02:31:14,176
and I vote no for those. But the city attorney and city manager, they don't. We, the

1356
02:31:19,249 --> 02:31:19,249
policy makers and the city manager. He will. He will put the right language in. And the

1357
02:31:24,821 --> 02:31:24,821
city manager, I mean, the city attorney will make sure the language is there. We are voted

1358
02:31:29,793 --> 02:31:29,793
in by the people to make these decisions. I'm not going to have a city manager and the

1359
02:31:35,932 --> 02:31:35,932
city attorney telling me what to do right this next business. And reports from the clerk,

1360
02:31:41,838 --> 02:31:41,838
miss hill, any items citizens, y'all can y'all can tell me what to do. Nothing to report

1361
02:31:46,610 --> 02:31:46,610
tonight, sir. Okay. Next business reports from the city attorney, mr. Williams. No

1362
02:31:50,947 --> 02:31:50,947
report, mr. Mayor. All right, next is item 19. Adjournment. All in favor? Aye,