Absent: None.
Also Present: Mr. Johnson, Acting City Manager; Ms. Evans, Deputy City Manager; Mr. Jinks, Deputy City Manager; Mr. Spera, Deputy City Attorney; Ms. Hamer, Director, Planning and Zoning (P&Z); Ms. Triggs, Acting Chief Financial Officer/ Finance Director; Mr. McPike, Director, General Services; Fire Chief Thiel; Mr. Routt, Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Ms. Taylor, Acting Director, OMB; Ms. Davis, Director, Office of Housing; Ms. Williams, Principal Planner, P&Z; Mr. Moritz, Deputy Director, P&Z; Mr. Wagner, Principal Planner, P&Z; Ms. Orr, Director, Human Resources; Mr. Cochran, Division Chief, Office of Housing; Ms. D'Sylva, Police; Mr. Fifer, E-Government Manager, Office of Communications; Ms. Harris, Communications Officer, Office of Communications; Mr. Jankowski, Director, Real Estate Assessments; Mr. Welch, Comptroller, Finance; Mr. Braeden, Budget Analyst, OMB; Mr. Colevas, ITS; Police Captain Ogden; and Mr. Lloyd.
Recorded by: Gloria Sitton, Deputy City Clerk and Clerk of Council.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Euille, and the Deputy City Clerk called the roll. All the members of Council were present.
2. Moment of Silence and Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Euille recognized Veterans Day and asked that everyone remember members of the Armed Services and their service to this country. City Council observed a moment of silence and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Reading and Acting Upon the Minutes of the Following Meetings of City Council: (a) The Public Hearing Meeting Minutes of October 15, 2011; (b) The Special Meeting Minutes of October 24, 2011; and (c) The Regular Meeting Minutes of October 25, 2011. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Hughes and carried unanimously, City Council approved the minutes of the following meetings of City Council: the public hearing meeting minutes of October 15, 2011; the special meeting minutes of October 24, 2011; and the regular meeting minutes of October 25, 2011. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Hughes "aye" Krupicka "aye" Euille "aye" Pepper "aye" Smedberg "aye" RECOGNITION OF YOUTH BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL None. PROCLAMATIONS None. REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER CONSENT CALENDAR (4-8) (Resignations and Uncontested Appointments) 4. Receipt of the Following Resignations from Members of Boards, Commissions and Committees: (a) Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board of Governors Ben Timashenka (b) Building Code Board of Appeals Joshua Carpenter (c) Citizen Corps Council John DuVall (d) Waterfront Committee William Cromley (A copy of the above resignations is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked collectively as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 4 (a-d); 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) 5. Uncontested Appointments to Boards, Commissions and Committees: (a) Beautification Commission 1 Citizen Member (b) Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee 1 Member Designated by Councilman Smedberg (c) Commission for Women 1 Citizen Member (d) Environmental Policy Commission 1 Member From the Field of Urban Planning (e) George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee 1 Member Nominated by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association (f) Sister Cities Committee 2 Citizen Members (A copy of the above appointments is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked collectively as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 5 (a-f); 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER (continued) CONSENT CALENDAR (continued) (Reports and Recommendations of the City Manager) 6. Consideration of an Application for Center for Disease Control and National Association of City and County Health Officials Action Communities for Health Funds for the Alexandria Childhood Obesity Action Network Program. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 1, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 6; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) (Ordinances for Introduction) 7. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Sections 3-2-185(a) and 3-2-187, of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as Amended, To Require Appeals of Real Property Tax Assessments To Be Filed With the Board of Equalization by June 1. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 7; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 7; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 3 of Item No. 7; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) 8. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance Making Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2012. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 8; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 8; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 3 of Item No. 8; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) END OF CONSENT CALENDAR WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the consent calendar. The City Manager's recommendations were as follows: 4. City Council accepted the following resignations with regret: (a) Ben Timashenka, Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board of Governors; (b) Joshua Carpenter, Building Code Board of Appeals; (c) John DuVall, Citizens Corp Council; and (d) William Cromley, Waterfront Committee. 5. City Council made the following appointments to boards and commissions: (a) appointed Tom Walczykowski as the citizen member to the Beautification Commission; (b) appointed Benjamin Klein as the member designated by Councilman Smedberg to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee; (c) appointed Rebekah Bakewicz as the citizen member to the Commission for Women; (d) appointed Josh Sawislak as the member from the field of urban planning to the Environmental Policy Commission; (e) reappointed Joseph Shumard as the member nominated by Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association to the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee; and (f) appointed John Scales and Scott Gordon as the two citizen members to the Sister Cities Committee. 6. City Council: (1) approved the submission of the grant application (submission deadline was November 7, 2011); and (2) authorized the City Manager to execute the necessary documents that may be required. 7. City Council passed the ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on Saturday, November 12, 2011. 8. City Council passed the ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The voting was as follows: Krupicka "aye" Donley "aye" Pepper "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Hughes "aye" Smedberg "aye" CONTESTED APPOINTMENTS 9. Commission on Employment 1 Representative From Such Organizations as Educational Agencies, Organized Labor, Rehabilitation Agencies, Community Based Organizations, Economic Development Agencies, and the Public Employment Service (The following person volunteered for appointment to the above Commission) NAME: ENDORSEMENT: Christopher Applegate Dr. Peter Maphumulo, Provost, NVCC (Material pertaining to the above appointment is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 9; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, ballots were distributed, tellers were appointed and the ballots were tallied with the following results: City Council waived the residency requirement and appointed Christopher Applegate as the representative from such organizations as educational agencies, organized labor, rehabilitation agencies, community based organizations, economic development agencies and the public employment service to the Commission on Employment. The voting was as follows: Euille - Applegate Donley - Applegate Fannon - Applegate Hughes - Applegate Krupicka - Applegate Pepper - Applegate Smedberg - Applegate 10. Environmental Policy Commission 1 Member From the Field of Environmental Sciences (e.g., Environmental/Sanitary Engineering, Ecology, Geology, Botany, Hydrology, Chemistry) or Who Have Alexandria Waterfront Expertise (The following persons volunteered for appointment to the above Commission) NAME: ENDORSEMENT: Kristen Nelson James Spencer (Material pertaining to the above appointment is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 10; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, ballots were distributed, tellers were appointed and the ballots were tallied with the following results: City Council appointed Kristen Nelson as the member from the field of environmental sciences (e.g., environmental/sanitary engineering, ecology, geology, botany, hydrology, chemistry) or who have Alexandria waterfront expertise to the Environmental Policy Commission. The voting was as follows: Euille - Spencer Donley - Spencer Fannon - Spencer Hughes - Nelson Krupicka - Nelson Pepper - Nelson Smedberg - Nelson 11. Historic Alexandria Resources Commission 1 Lee-Fendall House Representative (The following person volunteered for appointment to the above Commission) NAME: ENDORSEMENT: Kara Marshall Erin Adams, Executive Director, Lee-Fendall House (Material pertaining to the above appointment is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 11; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, ballots were distributed, tellers were appointed and the ballots were tallied with the following results: City Council waived the residency requirement and appointed Kara Marshall as the Lee-Fendall House representative to the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission. The voting was as follows: Euille - Marshall Donley - Marshall Fannon - Marshall Hughes - Marshall Krupicka - Marshall Pepper - Marshall Smedberg - Marshall REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR DISCUSSION 12. Receipt of Status Report from the Alexandria Waterfront Plan Work Group. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Councilman Smedberg gave an overview of the report that was included on the docket and noted that the Work Group has made significant progress on reaching a consensus on the proposed Waterfront Plan. Councilman Smedberg also thanked City staff and members of the Work Group for all the hard work and time they put into these meetings each week. Councilman Smedberg and Planning and Zoning Director Hamer responded to questions from members of City Council regarding meeting the proposed schedule and responding to and examining alternative Waterfront plans. Vice Mayor Donley thanked Councilman Smedberg for all his work with the Work Group and pointed out that there has been a great amount of agreement on the various points of the proposed plan. Vice Mayor Donley also urged that the discussion process holds to the proposed timeline in order to allow Council to address other projects on the horizon. Councilman Krupicka also thanked Councilman Smedberg for all his work facilitating the Work Group discussions and he noted that civil discussion among all interested parties is tantamount to reaching a decision that is representative of the type of decisionmaking Alexandria is known to have. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Smedberg, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council received the status report from the Alexandria Waterfront Plan Work Group. The voting was as follows: Smedberg "aye" Donley "aye" Pepper "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Hughes "aye" Krupicka "aye" Acting City Manager Johnson reported that he has requested staff to provide an analysis of the alternative plan's feasibility, both financially and legally, by November 15 and he will share that information with the Work Group and members of Council. 13. Presentation of the Report of the City of Alexandria Ad Hoc Retirement Benefit Advisory Group to the City Council and City Manager. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 13; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Ad Hoc Retirement Benefit Advisory Group co-chairs Russell Bailey and Janine Bosley gave a report on the findings of the group, gave recommendations to Council for consideration and responded to questions and comments from Council. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously, City Council received the report and thanked the members of the Advisory Group for their efforts on behalf of the City. City Council also requested that the City Manager prepare a docket item to examine the recommendations of the Advisory Group and Council requested that the Advisory Group reconvene after the release of the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission report is issued and review the report and the impact of its recommendations on the City of Alexandria. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Smedberg "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Pepper "aye" 14. Consideration of the Monthly Financial Report for the Period Ending September 30, 2011. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 8, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 14; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Mr. Routt, Office of Management and Budget, gave an overview of the monthly financial report and reviewed the economic indicators for the period. Mr. Routt responded to questions and comments from members of Council about the monthly financial report. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously, City Council received the Monthly Financial Report for the period ending September 30, 2011. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Smedberg "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Pepper "aye" 15. Receipt of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2011. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 15; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Acting Chief Financial Officer Triggs gave a review of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and responded to questions from Council. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Hughes, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council received the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Fannon "aye" Pepper "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Smedberg "aye" 16. Receipt of the Listings of Delinquent Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes and Consideration of Recommendation to Advertise the Listings and Write-off Balances Less than Twenty Dollars. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 3, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 16; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Councilman Fannon and carried unanimously, City Council: (1) received the listings of delinquent local property taxes; (2) authorized that those parts of the delinquent real estate and personal property tax listings deemed advisable by the Director of Finance be published in the newspaper and on the City of Alexandria website; (3) authorized the Director of Finance to write off uncollected tax balances less than twenty dollars each for which the Director of Finance has determined that the cost of collecting such balances would exceed the recoverable amount, provided that the Director of Finance will not include any balance for which she has reason to believe the taxpayer has intentionally paid less than the amount due and owed; and (4) authorized the Director of Finance, in accordance with retention regulations pursuant to the Virginia Public Records Act, to dispose of records associated with real estate taxes paid in calendar year 2005 and prior years in accordance with Code of Virginia Section 58.1-3129(A). The voting was as follows: Pepper "aye" Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Smedberg "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES None ORAL REPORTS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL and ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL (a) Vice Mayor Donley recognized the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria and those who participated in the Scholarship Fund Telethon on Sunday. Vice Mayor Donley noted that $65,000 in pledges were raised for the Scholarship Fund. (b) Vice Mayor Donley congratulated Rebuilding Together Alexandria and Washington Gas on the weatherizing project that they participated in at the Chirilagua Housing Cooperative on Saturday. (c) Councilwoman Pepper reported that the new Alexandria Police Headquarters was dedicated today and she noted how nice the building looked and looked forward to the great public safety opportunities the new headquarters will foster. (d) Councilman Fannon thanked the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Department and the Arts Commission for sponsoring the Alexandria Film Festival this past weekend, noting that over sixty movies were shown throughout the City. Councilman Fannon requested that the schedule be published earlier next year to encourage participation. (e) Councilman Fannon reported that the United Way Campaign is trying to raise $800,000 for Alexandria charities and nonprofits and pointed out that the United Way is half way to the goal. Councilman Fannon thanked all the City employees for their strong participation in the campaign. (f) Councilman Fannon invited everyone to attend the Veterans Day programs in the City on Friday: at 11:00 a.m., there will be a Veterans Day ceremony at the Rocky Versace Plaza at Mount Vernon Elementary School on Commonwealth Avenue, recognizing the 67 Alexandrians who lost their lives during Vietnam, and the Alexandria Black History Museum will sponsor a Veterans Day program from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 902 Wythe Street. (g) Councilman Krupicka requested that information about parking districts and the rules and regulations for the parking districts be compiled and posted on the City's website. (h) Councilman Krupicka recognized the Alexandria City Public Schools for receiving a couple of awards, one relating to financial planning and professionalism of their financial documents and the other award recognizing the thirteen City schools that are Energy Star certified. (i) Councilwoman Hughes reported that the Local Government Mandates Task Force will meet on November 19. Councilwoman Hughes also reported that at the past meeting, there were three subcommittees established to work on particular issues related to mandates including educational mandates, unfunded mandates and suggestions for mandates elimination legislation. (j) Councilwoman Hughes read a tribute to Alexandria attorney Bobby Stafford, who passed away on Tuesday morning and expressed condolences to his family during their time of bereavement. (k) Mayor Euille announced that the Mayor's Unity Breakfast would be held on November 23, 8:00 a.m., at the Hilton Mark Center, with the theme "Building Our Strength Through Diverse Abilities." Mayor Euille reported that for more information about the event please contact Nancy McCormick. co-chair, at fam1stalex@aol.com and the tickets cost $40. (l) Mayor Euille mentioned that the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership is always recruiting adults to volunteer to help a student and he noted that there is a shortage of mentors. Mayor Euille stated that anyone interested in volunteering should contact Alexandria Mentoring Partnership or contact the Mayor's office. (m) Mayor Euille reported that the Housing and the Region's Future report was presented by Dr. Sturtevant and Dr. Fuller of George Mason University at the Council of Governments Board meeting today and the report focused on the metropolitan area's need to increase the housing units to accommodate the growing population and workforce over the next twenty years. Mayor Euille noted that the City will examine the housing needs more in depth when the Comprehensive Housing Study is presented to Council in January. ORAL REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER Acting City Manager Johnson reported that the Office of Management and Budget received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and he noted that the City received 41% of the ratings in the Outstanding category. Mr. Johnson reported that the budget guidance will be a docket item at the upcoming legislative meeting. Mr. Johnson stated that in preparation for the guidance and the budget presentation, he has requested that City departments generate options that would reduce the City's operational budget by 6% in order to address the projected revenue shortfall. Mr. Johnson also has requested that the Strategic Goal groups prioritize the bottom 10% in each of the goal areas. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS None. OTHER 17. Consideration of City Council Schedule. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 17; 11/09/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference,) WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council: (1) received the updated calendar; and (2) noted that the dedication of the Duke Street alley named in honor of the late Douglas Thurman will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 19. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Pepper "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Smedberg "aye" EXECUTIVE SESSION 18. Consideration of Convening a Closed Meeting For the Purpose of Consulting With Legal Counsel Regarding Potential and Pending Litigation. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Hughes, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously, City Council convened in closed executive session at 8:55 p.m., pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A)(7) of the Code of Virginia, for the purpose of consulting with legal counsel regarding pending and potential litigation. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Donley "aye" Smedberg "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Pepper "aye" WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilman Krupicka and carried unanimously, City Council reconvened the meeting at 9:45 p.m. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Krupicka "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Pepper "aye" Smedberg absent WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Hughes, seconded by Councilman Krupicka and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council adopted the resolution pertaining to the Executive Session. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Donley "aye" Krupicka "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Pepper "aye" Smedberg absent The resolution reads as follows: