OPENING
1. Calling the Roll. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Euille, and the City Clerk called the roll; all the members of City Council were present. 2. Moment of Silence and Pledge of Allegiance. 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 Regular Meeting Minutes of October 10, 2006; and (b) The Public Hearing Meeting Minutes of October 14, 2006. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Gaines, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the regular meeting minutes of October 10, 2006 and the public hearing meeting minutes of October 14, 2006. The voting was as follows: Gaines "aye" Macdonald "aye" Pepper "aye" Krupicka "aye" Euille "aye" Lovain "aye" Smedberg "aye" RECOGNITION OF YOUTH BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL None. PROCLAMATIONS 4. Presentation of a Proclamation Congratulating Anne Boston Parish and the Queen Street Clinic. The proclamation was not presented, as the representative from the Queen Street Clinic was not present. REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER 5. Public Hearing To Obtain Citizens Input on the City's Proposed Fiscal Year 2008 Budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP.) Deputy City Manager Jinks and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Johnson gave an overview of the upcoming budget revenues, as well as real estate assessments. The following persons participated in the public hearing on this item: (a) Tracy Rickett, 23 West Glendale Avenue, chair, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, read a statement drafted by BFAAC and noted they are supportive of the reforms Council made to the add-delete process and want to emphasize the importance of adhering to sound financial policies and procedures, and the importance of maintaining a long-term prospective. On sound financial policies, he said they are pleased to see the use of performance measures and agree with the concept of determining the cost of current services as a foundation for building the budget. BFAAC saw the use of expenditure targets as a positive step and think targets should be set at a level that challenges the City Manager to propose innovative ways to restrain spending. Any subsequent revisions to the expenditure targets should be made early enough in the budget process to allow the Manager adequate time to prepare appropriate adjustments. Mr. Rickett urged Council to adhere to its current debt policy guidelines. The City will be at or near one of its self-imposed debt policy guidelines through FY 2011, leaving little room to incur additional debt without violating that guideline. He said that means major new capital projects may have to be deferred or scaled back to avoid exceeding the guidelines. On maintaining a long-term prospective, BFAAC has expressed concern about the dangers of the City's heavy reliance on inherently cyclical real property taxes. The City needs to continue to try to diversify its revenue sources. BFAAC commends Mayor Euille's initiative in establishing the economic sustainability workgroup. BFAAC has long urged the Council to closely scrutinize personnel expenditures, and it continues to recommend that the budget documents present total personnel costs, including compensation and benefits in a clear and comprehensive fashion. Mr. Rickett said they are pleased that the Schools have begun to address ways to control health care costs while maintaining benefits competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. He said they continue to urge the City to consider cost containment strategies in its employee health care benefits. (b) Joan Huffer, 10 Wolfe Street, member of the Campagna Center Board, and also a member of the Head Start Policy Council, said the Campagna Center services 268 children in the program in seven centers, and they also separately provide services to 60 children from birth to age three. She said they thanked the City for its efforts to work with them for services and resources and said the Board has committed, as has the City, to additional resources to help every child become a productive adult. She said she appreciates the City's commitment and looked forward to working with the City as the budget is developed. (c) Adele McDermott, 418 S. Washington Street, representing the Campagna Center, director of the Campagna Kids before and after school program, which is located at 12 elementary schools, serving 700 children, asked Council to continue to expect and demand only the best in after school programming and they are asking for Council's continued support for the Campagna Kids program. (d) Mary Riley, 202 East Alexandria Avenue, chair, Alexandria Community Services Board, noted the work the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse has done. She said Council has been under increasing pressure from citizens to cut back on growth in City government and provide relief from high property taxes, but she asked that the relief not be provided at the expense of programs that serve the neediest residents. She noted several examples of trying to maintain current levels of services and she asked for continued support of the Department. (e) Lonnie Rich, 801 North Fairfax Street, chairman of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, said they concur with the comments made by Tracy Rickett on behalf of BFAAC. He said the new activity based budgeting process being implemented is a tool that will allow Council to analyze the cost of programs and is a good basis for making informed budget decisions. He said that last year they asked that Council limit growth of no more than 5 percent, and Council ended up doing even less than that. He said increases in real estate values will produce $15 million more in additional tax revenue, which would allow an increase of three percent. He said they encourage Council to examine the effective salary increases as a result of both cost of living adjustment (COLA) and merit pay. He said their byline is to not increase the tax rate but increase the tax base. He said the waterfront represents an opportunity to make the most of their greatest asset in a way that will benefit the entire City. He said a proper plan should generate additional revenue. (f) Rick Dorman, 801 North Fairfax Street, chair-elect of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, said that just across the river, National Harbor will be attracting thousands of visitors and they will need a place to dine and tour and shop, and Alexandria must be that place and must have a trolley or jitney bus for visitors up and down King Street and they must plan now, as 2008 will be too late. He spoke of the tax revenue proportion that comes from commercial real estate as opposed to residential. He spoke of Landmark Mall and its declining assessment and noted that over 15 years, they have lost $10 million in tax revenue. He said they must take advantage to develop Landmark Mall into a viable town center with a combination of commercial and residential use. Mr. Dorman said the Chamber supports increased mixed use development around Metro stations and other places, especially where the appropriate level of density can provide additional open space and affordable housing. (g) Joan Rennor, 801 North Fairfax Street, past chair, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, spoke of declining sales in Alexandria and said they must make their business districts a destination rather than an alternative. She said they must not forget public roads, buildings and historic structures. She said the Chamber supports creative ways to fund that presentation of historic structures. She said they encourage measures to increase the supply of work force housing for middle income homeowners, such as office workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and nurses, so they can live in Alexandria. She said the Chamber supports a public safety budget that promotes a safe City, and they support a school budget that supports excellence in educational programs. She said the Chamber looks forward to continuing to play an important role as the City's partner in addressing the issues that are important to making Alexandria a better place for everyone. (h) Joseph Sesky, 3010 Colvin Street, president of the Alexandria Police Association, spoke about the cost of living increases and said it is important to keep a cost of living increase that keeps pace with the rate of inflation. He said a COLA will be an important factor to consider in the budget and $2.2 million funds one percent of a COLA for general employees and that does not include teachers. If the City gave employees a 2.8 COLA, that will take a big chunk of that 3 percent increase. Mr. Sesky said another thing on the horizon is a pay progression study going on in public safety, and it will have cost impact to the City. He said they also have a pay benchmark study going on, and it may be necessary to take a hard look at where they are with pay benchmarking. He encouraged Council to maintain a long-term perspective on how to work the numbers. (i) John Moorehead, 900 2nd Street, president, Black Firefighter Professionals of Alexandria, spoke about pay progression and noted that they have employees that receive great training and then take those skills to surrounding jurisdictions. He said they are competitive in the first five years and then fall off the scale. He urged Council to set aside funds so they may be able to recruit and retain employees. (j) Mary Agee, 10455 White Granite Drive, Suite 100, Oakton, president, Northern Virginia Family Service, spoke about Healthy Families, which provides intensive home visitation services to at-risk parents to help them succeed as parents. She thanked Council for its $328,000 this year, which they more than doubled by bringing in additional state and private dollars. Ms. Agee noted the ways in which the City supports the programs. (k) Kira Brooks, 523 South Lee Street, said she is a volunteer serving on Healthy Families Alexandria Resource Development Committee, and she spoke about Healthy Families and thanked Council for its continued support and noted those families that Healthy Families serves. (l) Judy Noritake, 605 Prince Street, speaking on behalf of the Park and Recreation Commission, spoke about the new facilities that have been done, but there is a lot more on their plate, such as Charles Houston, along with Patrick Henry and Chinquapin. She said they do not have an operational track in the community, and the department is trying to get one in place at the Braddock field area. She said they have matched the $77,000 trails budget. She said the issue of fields is the one with the most deficit, and the Commission will hear from the consultant and will be taking comments, but they are in a big hole in fields. She said they need to make more of an investment up front and may have to look at bonds, as Fairfax County is doing, for artificial turf fields. (m) Steve Hart, 1512 Oakcrest Drive, chair, Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services, which runs Arlandria Health Center, asked the Council to renew its commitment to the Arlandria Health Center because of the great need. He spoke of the services offered and the people who use the service. (n) Kristin Langlykke, 2 East Glebe Road, executive director of the Alexandria Neighborhood Health Service, gave a history of the health center and spoke of the individuals served, noting that one of the goals is to eliminate health disparities and she spoke of the uninsured patients. (o) Jason Conley, 24 East Linden Street, spoke about the flooding on East Linden Street and strongly requested that funding be set aside for long-term storm water drainage issues and for capital improvements that can address some of the flooding issues in the Rosemont Park neighborhood. He noted they experienced significant flooding issues this past summer. Mayor Euille said this item will be docketed for a staff meeting Friday so a plan of action response can be provided. (p) Carol Augustine, 3650 Taney Avenue, program director at St. Martin de Porres Senior Center, spoke of the Center and the population that it serves, and noted the programs available to the seniors at the Center and the growth of the Center, and she asked Council for a 15 percent increase in their contract with the City. (q) Mary Clark, 630 Kings Cloister Circle, member, St. Martins Senior Center, asked Council's help in day-to-day expenses and in keeping their small staff of three - the outreach worker, the part-time receptionist and the kitchen manager. (r) Ruth Hood, 3101 North Hampton Street, said she moved from Ohio four years ago and knew no one and then came in contact with the St. Martin's Center, which gave her contact to friends from all over the world. She said they need additional funds to accept all the new people. (s) Pearl McCray, 5340 Holmes Run Parkway, said she is a senior at St. Martins, and she said she is so proud and happy that they have been blessed to be in a Center that cares so much for people. She asked Council to keep them in their minds and in their budget. (t) Leroy Williams, 6260 Edsall Road, said he is an entertainer at St. Martins and it has done a lot for him and he hoped they could keep the doors open. (u) Alexandra Espinal, 4600 Duke Street, apartment 9K, said she is in a Spanish speaking group at St. Martins Center and asked Council to support the Center. (v) Eleanor Waytovich, 5408 Richenbacher, said she moved from Florida three years ago and goes to St. Martins three days a week and it means a lot to her. (w) Michael Neilson, 4110 Fort Worth Place, youth sports volunteer, asked Council to be sure to consider the budget will be adequate to address the serious problems with the shortage and condition of the City's athletic fields. He said they need to take a look at the life cycle costs for artificial turfs as opposed to the maintenance costs for natural turf fields and whether there may be some advantages economically in getting more done sooner. Mr. Neilson said he hoped the department would address the fact that they have a single lighted baseball diamond in Alexandria. (x) Larry Altenburg, 222 East Del Ray Avenue, president, Del Ray Citizens Association, spoke about the renovations of fire station 202 at Windsor Avenue that are currently on hold that should be completed, as the conditions leave much to be desired. He said they would also encourage the City to increase EMS services at station 202, as there are significant and increasing number of calls throughout the first response area for 202. He said pedestrian lighting along Mt. Vernon Avenue is needed to improve the safety and security of those walking along the Avenue at night. Also, he asked the City to purchase two properties in Del Ray - at 17 East Del Ray Avenue and 2309 Mt. Vernon Avenue, would provide valuable open space consistent with the proposed renovation of Commonwealth Avenue, as well as make further progress with the Mt. Vernon Avenue plan. (y) Gregory Street, 400 Madison Street, #707, spoke about tennis courts and said he did a survey of tennis courts and submitted a report to the Recreation Department some time ago. He said there are 31 courts in 14 city-owned locations, and 45 percent are in poor condition, with 16 courts having lights at six locations, but 10 are in fair to poor condition, as opposed to Arlington's 87 courts at 26 locations, and 68 courts have lights at 19 locations. He said the City needs to make sure that what it has are in good condition and well maintained, take care of what it has, hire a professional to make recommendations, restore courts with lights in good condition, and it needs a regular maintenance and improvement plan. (z) Sherry Brown, 1600 Prince Street, #603, speaking for the Alexandria Arts Forum, spoke about arts funding and grants for the arts. She said for every dollar granted, the City Treasury receives more than $3.00 back. She said an increase of $42,000 to $257,112 would let them restore the cap to last year's amount, which is 19.6 percent more. (aa) Mollie Danforth, 1600 Prince Street, #603, Alexandria Symphony, spoke of funding for the arts and thanked Council for the funding over the years. She said the operational grant has gone down 17 percent, their office rent went up 17 percent, and the parking fees at Schlesinger Center went up 25 percent, so their costs keep going up but the funding for the City has gone down. She asked Council to consider that the investment made in the arts could be a pay-off in terms of diversifying the tax base. (bb) Carla Jones, 1600 Prince Street, #603, executive director of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, said they need additional funding to continue their Naxos program. (cc) Amy Gallagher, 1600 Prince Street, #603, director, Springwater Fiber Workshop, a non-profit, said that without the Alexandria Commission for the Art grant, they are not able to offer as many events and participate in as many functions in the community and area schools. She said they support Alexandria by bringing in customers and students from around the region and country, who spend time and money in Alexandria. (dd) M. Magnus, 1600 Prince Street, #603, secretary for the Arts Forum, and the secretary for the Alexandria Performing Arts Association, spoke on behalf of increases to the grants that are supported by the Arts Commission. He said they will be unable to maintain cultural parity with the area surrounding the City, and if they want to continue to have growth in the grants, that accomplishes two things – sustaining proven and successful programs and nurturing new projects. (ee) Betsy Anderson, 105 North Union Street, Studio 223, vice chair of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, chair of Public Art for the Commission, a Torpedo Factory artist for 26 years and the immediate past president of the Art League and a member of the Arts Forum, thanked Council for its support of the arts in Alexandria and said their neighbors are competing for their vibrant art business. The time has come for Alexandria to enact a percent for art program, which will greatly enhance the viability of the arts in Alexandria and will not add to the tax burden. (ff) Sean McEnearney, 109 S. Pitt Street, chair, Preschool Initiative Committee of the Early Childhood Commission, explained the meetings they held on a comprehensive program for prenatal to age five. He said the most important of their five recommendations are they need to provide sustainability to the programs already in place that are losing funding, revamp the Early Childhood Commission to make it look more like what is recommended by the State Smart Beginnings and Start Strong efforts, and to reorganize the Early Childhood Commission in other ways. (gg) June Whelan, 400 Madison Street, #609, representing the Washington Balalaika Society, a Russian Folk Orchestra, said they are a recipient of a grant from the City. She said they are looking for inexpensive venues to put their programs on in the City, and they are a volunteer organization and their only paid employee is the conductor, and she asked Council to consider an increase in funding made available to the arts groups. (hh) Ellen Stanton, 2600 King Street, chair, Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, advocated for funds for the preservation and maintenance of their historic sites and buildings. She thanked Council for funding in the past. She suggested a task force be appointed by the Mayor to develop a long-term maintenance plan for their historic structures and sites that includes funding for this purpose. In addition, they request that the task force assist HARC in developing an endowment for their historic structures. (ii) Paul Wilson, 1402 Orchard Street, representing the Chamber of Commerce on the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, addressed the economic impact of cultural and heritage tourism. He noted his support of Ms. Stanton in her call for Council and a HARC study group to develop a proposal for a creative funding source to help with the task of preserving their historical treasures. (jj) Irma Vasquez, 3801 Mt. Vernon Avenue, spoke in Spanish and was interpreted by Sheryl Bell. (kk) Sheryl Bell, 3801 Mt. Vernon Avenue, representing the Tenants and Workers United, and interpreted for Ms. Vasquez, said they have identified four areas as needing additional local support. There is a list of 300 children waiting for quality child care and they requested emergency funding of $384,000 to fully fund the program this year. Up to 80 percent of Latino and working parents have no health insurance and many African American families earn too much for the City programs but have jobs that do not provide health insurance. She noted they are developing a proposal that anticipates that additional funding for health care will be needed if they are to provide health care for their working families. She ntoed that for the teen programs, there is a large funding gap in the needs of teens and the programs and they urge $250,000 be added to the existing Alexandria Youth Fund. In housing, the City did the right thing by setting aside $4 million a year for affordable housing, and funding needs to be continued and there needs to be a strong link between all future development and affordable housing. (ll) James Hoben, 3306 Circle Hill Road, co-chair of Housing Action, requested the continuation of the one penny for housing preservation and the issuance of a second bond for housing this fiscal year or in fiscal year 2007/08. He said today they preserve five projects that include 300 affordable units, they have increased the contributions for affordable units in new development projects, however, the final proof is in the continuous securing of affordable housing for their workforces and lower income households. He said the coming year will be an important one for preservation, as: 1. the demand for affordable rentals will increase; 2. the opportunity to secure apartments will improve with the decrease in condominium conversions; and 3. a weaker real estate market will allow the City to secure more properties dollar for dollar. Mr. Hoben said they must be in a position to act quickly when the opportunities present themselves. (mm) Eileen Longstreet, 700 Princess Street, Mezzanine, representing Senior Services of Alexandria, spoke about senior taxi and said the program has become increasingly important because of the aging population, and seniors call them 14,000 times a year for transportation. She asked for continued funding of senior taxi. (nn) Justin Clark, 1503 Hancock Avenue, voiced his support for park spending and is the chair of the adopt-a-park committee of the Del Ray Citizens Association, and endorsed the remarks made earlier by Larry Altenburg, of the Del Ray Citizens Association and urged Council to use open space funds to purchase 17 East Del Ray Avenue and 2309 Mt. Vernon Avenue. The Del Ray community is committed to enhancing the Commonwealth Greenway and have used adopt-a-park funds to commission a land use study of the corridor by graduates students at Virginia Tech, as it would expand Del Ray's small network of pocket parks. He said park maintenance needs to be incorporated into the 2008 City budget. He urged the City to fully adopt continued review of planting projects and facilities throughout the City's heavily used parks. He also asked that residents be included in park planning projects and is encouraged by the planning efforts for Mason Park, but requested that City staff be allocated to support public outreach for park improvement initiatives, and the Del Ray Citizens Association looks forward to the opportunity to plan for expansions to Simpson Park in association with the Route 1 realignment. (oo) George Chadwick, 2930 Holly Street, spoke of art and art funding in Alexandria and noted that the quality and number of grant proposals have risen. They have an active and vibrant art community, they have had a Council that has supported them to a great extent, and they need that support backed-up by additional funding. (pp) Michael Wenk, 1007 Beverley Drive, said he is very much in support of revamping the budget and suggested Council consider a priority ranking sheet, whereby it lists all the initiatives and the increases and then produce a cut-off line where the line would be cut by three percent, five percent, and seven percent. He said he also strongly supports a very adequate package for employees in COLA's, health care and retirement, and said he would be willing to pay more taxes to make sure they retain good employees. He said it was helpful when City staff came to his neighborhood to explain what the budget was about. (qq) John Parry, 317 Skyhill Road, commended the previous speakers and said Alexandria is a thoughtful, balanced community and it must recognize the tax burden on homeowners, small businesses, elderly, their neighbors, and those on fixed incomes. The Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Gerry Connoly, has a clearly stated budget goal for Fairfax County – no increase in the real estate tax rate this year. He said the same goal is reasonable and appropriate for Alexandria and urged Council to direct staff to prepare a budget that does not increase the current real estate tax rate. (rr) John Sander, 1126 Pitt Street, representing the Art League in support of the Commission for the Arts, said any funding that can be provided to the Art League is appreciated and provides a boost to the City. (ss) James Gibson, 1317 Knox Place, chair, Youth Sports Advisory Committee, representing citizens who should be at home and in bed by this hour, said, on their behalf, that they have an outstanding user friendly system for youth sports and in order to maintain that, they will need additional field space to facilitate it. He asked Council to accelerate the plan they have to build additional fields and make sure the fields are engineered fields in combination with artificial turf, which will get them to where they need to be so their children and families will have the quality of life they seek. (tt) Brian Buzzell, 1 Wilkes Street, reminded Council of a prior commitment of Council to Windmill Hill Park, the $1 million that was previously budgeted in the 2003/04 timeframe and money has been moved to forward year's budgets. Council should take another look at it, he said, to get on with the project to enhance their waterfront. Vice Mayor Macdonald asked staff to give Council more information on the status and funding during the budget process. (uu) Boyd Walker, 1307 King Street, representing the Greater Alexandria Preservation League, which is the reformation of the Upper King Street Preservation Group, said they need two new positions in Historic Preservation to expand from four to six people, they need to continue the funding next year to add $100,000 to the budget to continue updating of the Parker Gray Historic District to the National Register District, to continue the listing of 77 buildings put on the list from 1998 that were 100 years old in 1998 and were to be added to the Old and Historic District, and to fund professional development for the whole Planning Department and specifically the Historic Preservation Department. He said he would like to have a two day conference in May so they can have one day to have site visits and one day to have discussion of it. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Gaines, seconded by Vice Mayor Macdonald and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing. The voting was as follows: Gaines "aye" Krupicka absent Macdonald "aye" Lovain "aye" Euille "aye" Pepper absent Smedberg "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER CONSENT CALENDAR (6-12) (Resignations and Uncontested Appointments) 6. Receipt of the Following Resignations From Members of Boards, Commissions and Committees: (a) Alexandria Commission for the Arts Marc Sukolsky (b) Alexandria Environmental Policy Commission Matthew I. Slavin (c) Alexandria Youth Policy Commission Emma Shapiro (A copy of the above resignations is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked collectively Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 6(a-c); 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) 7. Uncontested Appointments to Boards, Commissions and Committees: (a) Alexandria Citizen Corps Council 1 Representative of the Emergency Medical Services Council, Medical Reserve Corps, or a Person With Emergency Medical Response Experience (b) Alexandria Commission on Employment 1 Business Representative From Among Recognized Area Businesses Including Minority-Owned And Small Businesses (c) Alexandria Commission on HIV/AIDS The Sheriff’s Designee (d) Alexandria Commission on Information Technology 1 Citizen Member (e) Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board of Governors The President of the Alexandria Hotel Association (f) Alexandria Early Childhood Commission 1 Member-At-Large (g) Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council 1 Representative of the Alexandria Chapter of The American Red Cross (h) Historic Alexandria Resources Commission 1 Member-At-Large (i) Alexandria Sister Cities Committee 1 Representative From the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee (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. 7 (a-i); 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) (Reports and Recommendations of the City Manager) 8. Consideration of the Monthly Financial Report for the Period Ending September 30, 2006. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 12, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 8; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. 9. Consideration of Authorization of Recommended Capital Allocations and Planned Expenditures. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 11, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 9; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. 10. Consideration of Acceptance of Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Award in the Amount of $90,369 From the Department of Homeland Security. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 16, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 10; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. 11. Consideration of a Grant Application by the Office on Women to the Virginia Department of Social Services Healthy Marriage and Stable Families Initiative. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 16, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 11; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. 12. Consideration of Authorization of a Grant Application in the Amount of $92,000 to the Department of Criminal Justice Services For a Two Year Project to Enhance Sexual and Domestic Violence Services. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 16, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. END OF CONSENT CALENDAR WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Gaines, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the Consent Calendar with the removal of docket item #12 and considered it under separate motion. The City Manager's recommendations were as follows: 6. City Council accepted the following resignations with regret: (a) Marc Sukolsky, Alexandria Commission for the Arts; (b) Matthew I. Slavin, Alexandria Environmental Policy Commission; and (c) Emma Shapiro, Alexandria Youth Policy Commission. 7. City Council made the following appointments: (a) appointed Francis Hoang as the one representative of the Emergency Medical Services Council, Medical Reserve Corps, or a person with emergency medical response experience to the Alexandria Citizen Corps Council; (b) reappointed Kenneth Taylor as the one business representative from among recognized area businesses including minority-owned and small businesses to the Alexandria Commission on Employment; (c) waived the residency requirement and reappointed Merry Brinkley as the Sheriff's designee to the Alexandria Commission on HIV/AIDS; (d) appointed Kostas Liopiros as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Commission on Information Technology; (e) waived the residency requirement and appointed John Varghese as the president of the Alexandria Hotel Association to the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board of Governors (ACVA); (f) appointed Carol Freeman as the one member-at-large to the Alexandria Early Childhood Commission; (g) appointed Pamela Alesky as the one representative of the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross to the Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council; (h) reappointed Bernard Schulz as the one member-at-large to the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission; and (i) waived the residency requirement and appointed Sueko Kumagai as the one representative from the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee to the Alexandria Sister Cities Committee. 8. City Council received the monthly financial report for the period ending September 30, 2006. 9. City Council authorized the capital project allocations and planned expenditures for the capital projects as detailed in the Capital Improvement Expenditure Summary. 10. City Council: (1) accepted the Homeland Security grant funds in the amount of $90,369; and (2) authorized the City Manager to execute all necessary documents that may be required. 11. City Council: (1) approved the submission of the grant application to the Department of Social Services (DSS) for funding in the amount of $22,300 that would result in funding for a part-time position for the Office on Women; (2) approved the acquisition of one part-time Outreach and Prevention Specialist for the Office on Women. This grant-funded position would terminate upon the expiration of the grant and the individual who fills the position would be notified of this condition of employment at the time that they are hired, and would sign an agreement of understanding with regard to this condition; and (3) authorized the City Manager to execute all documents that may be required. The voting was as follows: Gaines "aye" Macdonald "aye" Pepper "aye" Krupicka "aye" Euille "aye" Lovain "aye" Smedberg "aye" 12. Consideration of Authorization of a Grant Application in the Amount of $92,000 to the Department of Criminal Justice Services For a Two Year Project to Enhance Sexual and Domestic Violence Services. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 16, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. Councilman Smedberg asked questions of staff regarding administration of the program, how it fits into the Office on Women's mission, notification and procedure, to which Ms. Baker, Director, Office on Women, responded. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Smedberg, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council deferred consideration of this item to the next legislative meeting. The voting was as follows: Smedberg "aye" Macdonald "aye" Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Lovain "aye" Councilman Gaines asked staff to consult with the Human Rights Department on the deliberation of the grant and who is best to handle the grant. CONTESTED APPOINTMENTS 13. Alexandria-Caen Exchange Committee 1 Citizen Member (The following persons volunteered for appointment to the above Commission:) NAME: ENDORSED BY: Dena Corson Ronald Kidd Timothy Ramsey Steven Rich (Material pertaining to the above appointment is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked collectively as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 13; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, ballots were distributed, tellers were appointed and the ballots tallied with the following results: City Council appointed Steven Rich as the one citizen member to the Alexandria-Caen Exchange Committee. The voting was as follows: Euille - Rich Macdonald - Corson Gaines - Rich Krupicka - Rich Lovain - Rich Pepper - Rich Smedberg - Rich REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR DISCUSSION 14. Receipt of Proposed City Legislative Package for the 2007 General Assembly Session. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 19, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 14; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. Legislative Director Caton gave a brief overview of the package. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council: (1) received the proposals for the City's 2007 Legislative Package; (2) scheduled the legislative package proposals for public hearing on Saturday, November 18; (3) scheduled the proposed Charter amendment for public hearing on Saturday, November 18; and (4) scheduled adoption of the Legislative Package for Tuesday, November 28, following Council's work session with the General Assembly delegation. The voting was as follows: Krupicka "aye" Macdonald "aye" Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye" Euille "aye" Lovain "aye" Smedberg "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES None ORAL REPORTS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL None. ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL (a) Councilman Krupicka said the budget public hearing this evening was great. It would be helpful to him to encourage every organization that came forward to submit written comments. He said ideally, he would like to see, after the budget public hearing, a book put together of all the letters organized by class. He encouraged written testimony so citizens do not always feel like they have to come to the meetings. Getting the specific information requests and issues on paper helps him digest it all. (b) Councilman Krupicka said the Del Ray Halloween parade is on Sunday and it will be done in conjunction with the Walk to End Homelessness. (c) Councilwoman Pepper noted the City tree sale this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fort Ward Park, where one can buy up to 20 trees at a discounted price. (d) Councilwoman Pepper noted that the Apothecary Shop is going to be re-opening after having been closed for some time, and it will reopen on Veteran's Day, November 11, and it has been privately restored. She noted that the City had acquired that property and it will be part of the City's family of historic properties. (e) Councilwoman Pepper said several members of Council attended the Inova Hospital Cancer Center open house and tour this past week. She said it gave them an opportunity to see some new equipment that they are showing off. It is a new state-of-the-art way of treating cancer in a very specific pinpointed way so that not many of the cells that are healthy are damaged. She said this is the first hospital in Northern Virginia to get the equipment. (f) Councilman Gaines said that on Friday, October 27, the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association will hold the Fun Side Forum from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Old Town. Participating in the forum will be representatives from National Harbor. Clearly it is an opportunity for anyone in the community to hear about the plans. (g) Councilwoman Pepper said the new Harris Teeter store is open in Fox Chase. (h) Vice Mayor Macdonald said he was in Baltimore on Saturday at Fell's Point, and Baltimore has a large waterfront and he was impressed with the very nice things that have been done in the older part of the waterfront. Their parks are very well thought out and planned. He said they have a tremendous amount of commercial development, but it does point out that they need to be very careful about what they want - do they want residential or commercial development in the buildings they have. Adaptive re-use seems to be the smart way to go. Vice Mayor Macdonald said that while driving through Old Town, he noticed the streets and the sidewalks and for an historic district, a lot looks pretty ragged and its ragged for various reasons. He said one of the things the City needs to spend more time on is beautifying Alexandria and beautifying the historic district. Planting trees is one of the things they can do, and yet it charges homeowners to plant the trees. There seem to be a disparate view of how to take care of sidewalks - sometimes it's brick, sometimes it's concrete. He said that if one looks underneath a lot of the streets, there are the old cobbles and he was not sure they want to resurrect the old cobbles, but there is a lot of brick paving under a lot of the asphalt. He said that in the historic districts, if they could expose that again, it would make a fine way to have them identify some of the historic part of the town - the waterfront, and it might be used as a way to slow traffic. Vice Mayor Macdonald said they need to look at beautifying Alexandria, look at other cities like Baltimore, and they need to think about the commercial side of the redevelopment. Mayor Euille said he has raised good points in terms of beautification. He said he had a discussion with some folks at lunch this afternoon and he assured them they are always looking at ways to improve and beautify and some evolved as a result of last night's Alexandria Beautification Commission presentation of their annual awards to 50 residential property owners and several commercial and retailers. When one looks at what the citizens are doing and have done to maintain and beautify their own properties, it only makes sense that as a City government it do the same throughout the City as much as possible to make sure they are committed to beauty, and the City is. It takes time and money, and the waterfront exercise will be an opportunity to take a look at what they want to do, not so much what has been done in Baltimore, but a lot of the citizens and Council and staff have done an awful lot of travelling and have seen waterfronts and what others are doing. Mayor Euille said the condition of streets needing paving and sidewalk conditions and curbs and gutters is all outside the perimeters of the waterfront. It is a commitment the City needs to be on top of, but it all comes down to dollars and cents. It needs to look at what it can do in the short-term and the long-term. Some of the things as far as beautification, whether it be trash cans, cleaning the streets or signage, can be done in the short-term and is not something that needs to wait for the next few years down the road. Councilman Smedberg said he agreed with Vice Mayor Macdonald that there are several things they can do in terms of general beautification. One thing started a few years ago was the gateway initiative that seems to have fallen on the wayside. He said one thing the City could do is the entryway on the G.W. Parkway as one enters the City, the sign and the garden are pitiful and is the thing that every tourist and visitor to Alexandria sees and it looks very bad. (i) Mayor Euille said the City was the recipient of the Virginia Municipal League's Achievement Award for 2006 for cities and towns over 90,000 population, which he received a week ago at the annual banquet of the Virginia Municipal League. The award was given for the successful Chatham Square redevelopment project that was a collaboration between the public housing authority, the developer, and the City of Alexandria, and it was a very successful project, and not only did it receive State recognition, but they had the opportunity to attend a program for the National Builders Association where the top award in the entire United States was presented for the Chatham Square project. The project is featured in the October 2006 edition of the Builders Magazine as the choice award winner. ORAL REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER None. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 15. Consideration of a Resolution Supporting the Northern Virginia Regional Commission Application For Fiscal Year 2007-08 Transportation Enhancement Grant For Four Mile Run Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge. [ROLL-CALL VOTE] (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 18, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 15; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously by roll-call vote, City Council: (1) adopted the resolution supporting the Northern Virginia Regional Commission application for FY 2007-08 funding in the amount of $500,000 for phase 1 in the design and preliminary engineering of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Four Mile Run at Commonwealth Avenue to South Eads Street in Arlington County; (2) requested the City Manager to assure the Commonwealth of Virginia that the City of Alexandria will provide a local match of $50,000 if the grant is awarded; and (3) authorized the City Manager to apply for these grants, and to enter into agreements with the State to accept any of these grants. The voting was as follows: Pepper "aye" Macdonald "aye" Smedberg "aye" Gaines "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Lovain "aye" The resolution is as follows: RESOLUTION NO. 2210 WHEREAS, in accordance with Transportation Enhancement Program of the Virginia Department of Transportation allocation procedures, it is necessary that a request by City Council resolution be made in order that the Virginia Department of Transportation fund a project known as the Four Mile Run Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge in the City of Alexandria. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council that the City Manager is authorized, for and on behalf of the City of Alexandria, hereafter referred to as the PUBLIC BODY, to execute and file an application to the Department of Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia, hereafter referred to as the DEPARTMENT, for financial assistance in the amount of $400,000 to defray the costs borne by the PUBLIC BODY for constructing a multi-use stream crossing over Four Mile Run at Commonwealth Avenue and South Eads Street in the County of Arlington; and to accept from the DEPARTMENT reimbursements in such amounts as expenses are submitted, and to authorize the City Manager to furnish the DEPARTMENT grants in such amounts as may be awarded, and to authorize the City Manager to furnish to the DEPARTMENT such documents and other information as may be required for processing the application. The City Council certifies that the funds shall be used in accordance with the requirements of Section 58.1-638.A of the Code of Virginia. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the PUBLIC BODY will provide funds in the amount of $50,000, which will be used as Alexandria’s share of the 20 percent match1 1 Arlington County has also committed to $50,000 for its share of the 20 percent match. to the state funds in the ratio as required in such Act, that the records of receipts of expenditures of funds granted the PUBLIC BODY may be subject to audit by the DEPARTMENT and by the State Auditor of Public Accounts, and that funds granted to the PUBLIC BODY for defraying the expenses of the PUBLIC BODY shall be used only for such purposes as authorized in the Code of Virginia. The undersigned duly qualified and acting as City Clerk of the PUBLIC BODY certifies that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a Resolution, adopted at a legally convened meeting of the City Council held on the 26th day of September 2006. ADOPTED: October 24, 2006 OTHER 16. Consideration of City Council Schedule. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated October 19, 2006, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 16; 10/24/06, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. Deputy City Manager Evans said the two dates for the joint work session with the School Board are November 20 and 21, and she asked Council's availability. Council did not agree on either November 20 or 21, but asked the Deputy City Manager to bring back other dates (after Thanksgiving) in a memo to Council. Deputy City Manager Evans said November 30, the EMS Council will be sponsoring the 30th anniversary celebration of the Emergency Medical Services Council and Program in Alexandria, and the hospital will be jointly sponsoring it and will bring back original founders. Mayor Euille said on the other dates for the School Board meeting, he asked that she avoid December 5-11. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously, City Council: (1) scheduled a work session on Virginia Paving at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 6 in the Council Chambers; (2) scheduled a meeting of the Alexandria Transit Company Stockholders at 7:00 p.m. just prior to the beginning of the Council's Tuesday, November 14 legislative meeting; and (3) noted the revised calendar includes the grand opening of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum on Saturday, November 11 at 10:00 a.m. at 105-107 South Fairfax Street; and noted that Thursday, November 30, the EMS Council is sponsoring the 30th anniversary celebration of the Emergency Medical Services Council and Program in Alexandria. The voting was as follows: Krupicka "aye" Macdonald "aye" Smedberg "aye" Gaines "aye" Euille "aye" Lovain "aye" Pepper "aye" * * * * * * THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO BE CONSIDERED, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Vice Mayor Macdonald and carried unanimously, the regular City Council meeting of October 24, 2006, was adjourned at 10:28 p.m. The voting was as follows: Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye" Macdonald "aye" Krupicka "aye" Euille "aye" Lovain "aye" Smedberg "aye"