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Office of the City Clerk
April 9, 2008

There Was a Work Session With the
Infill Task Force and the Planning Commission
at 5:00 p.m. on the work of the Infill Task Force
in the City Council Work Room.

The City Council and Planning Commission
Held a Work Session on Planning Priorities
After the Infill Work Session.


Regular Meeting
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - - 7:00 p.m.

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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 Council were present.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

2. Moment of Silence and Pledge of Allegiance.

City Council observed a moment of silence and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

3. Reading and Acting Upon the Minutes of the Following Meetings of City Council:

(a) The Public Hearing Meeting Minutes of March 15, 2008; and

(b) The Regular Meeting Minutes of March 25, 2008.

City Council approved the public hearing meeting minutes of March 15, 2008 and the regular meeting minutes of March 25, 2008.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

RECOGNITION OF YOUTH BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL

None.

PROCLAMATIONS

4. Presentation of a Proclamation Declaring April 26, 2008 as Alexandria Earth Day and Arbor Day.

City Council endorsed the proclamation.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

5. Presentation of a Proclamation Declaring April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

City Council endorsed the proclamation.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________


6. Presentation of a Proclamation Recognizing the 75th Anniversary of TWIG, the Junior Auxiliary of Inova Alexandria Hospital.

City Council endorsed the proclamation.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

7. Recognition of the Graduates of the City of Alexandria Citizens Academy.

City Council recognized the graduates of the Citizens Academy.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

7.1 Presentation of a Proclamation Declaring April 7-11, 2008 as Technology Achievement Week.

City Council endorsed the proclamation.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER

CONSENT CALENDAR (8-27)

(Resignations and Uncontested Appointments)

8. Receipt of the Following Resignations From Members of Boards, Commissions and Committees:

9. Uncontested Appointments to Boards, Commissions and Committees: (g) Alexandria Community Policy and Management Team
1 Member Designated by Council Member Timothy B. Lovain

(h) Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council
1 Citizen Member


(i) Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee
1 Citizen Member

(j) Alexandria Social Services Advisory Board
(Reports and Recommendations of the City Manager)

10. Consideration of a Request to Vacate a Position on the Alexandria Commission on Employment.

11. Consideration of a Request to Vacate a Position on the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee.

12. Consideration of Submission of Application for Funding to the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) For the Round 7 (FY 2009) Sponsoring Partnerships and Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program.

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER (continued)

CONSENT CALENDAR (continued)

13. Consideration of Providing Comments on the Proposed Virginia-American Water Company Rate Increase.

14. Submission of a Grant Application to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services For Funding For the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for the Victim-Witness Assistance Program.

(Ordinances for Introduction)

15. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Adopt the New Braddock Road Metro Small Area Plan Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan.

16. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Adopt the New Transportation Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan.

17. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Establish a Transportation Advisory Committee.

18. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance to Establish a New CDD No. 15 (Braddock Gateway.)

19. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Amend the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan to Add “Waste Water Treatment Facility” as a Public Utility Use on Blocks 29 and 30 of the Small Area Plan.

20. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase the City’s Transient Lodging Tax from 5.5 to 7.5 Percent.

21. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase the City’s Meals Tax From 3 to 4 Percent.

22. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase the Threshold For Paying the Revenue-based Retail Gross Receipts Tax From $100,000 to $1,000,000.


23. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Restrict Eligibility For Affordable Homeownership Preservation Program Grants.

24. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase Ambulance Service Fees.

25. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase Parking Meter Fees.

26. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Increase Sewer Connection Fees.

27. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance Making Supplemental Appropriations For FY 2008.

END OF CONSENT CALENDAR

City Council approved the consent calendar, with the exception of docket item #13, which was considered under separate motion. The City Manager's recommendations were as follows:

8. City Council accepted the following resignation with regret: (a) Colby Hatch, Alexandria District Home Board/Birmingham Green Board of Directors.

9. City Council made the following appointments: (a) appointed Kerry-Ann Powell as the one member of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board of Commissioners (ARHA) to the Alexandria Affordable Housing Advisory Committee; (b) appointed S. Kathleen Pepper as the one member from the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage to the Alexandria Archaeological Commission; (c) appointed Deborah Weatherly as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Beautification Commission; (d) reappointed Cyndi Lake 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; (e) reappointed Mary Clark as the one citizen member who is 60 years of age or older and appointed Irene Carpenter as the one individual with leadership experience in a volunteer organization to the Alexandria Commission on Aging; (f) appointed Stuart Ellis, Jr., as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities; (g) appointed Debra Collins as the one member designated by Council Member Timothy B. Lovain to the Alexandria Community Policy and Management Team; (h) reappointed W. Scooter Slade as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council; (i) appointed Katharine Vaughan as the one citizen member to the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee; and (j) appointed Cassandra Ford as the one parent member to the Alexandria Social Services Advisory Board.

10. City Council declared as vacant one of the positions for a business representative on the Alexandria Commission on Employment and authorized the Executive Secretary for Boards and Commissions to advertise the vacancy.

11. City Council declared as vacant one of the citizen positions on the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee and authorized the Executive Secretary for Boards and Commissions to advertise the vacancy.

12. City Council approved the submission of an application (due April 18, 2008) to the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) for $15,200,000 for the SPARC Round Seven program funding to provide first-trust, low-interest, mortgage financing for participants in the City's Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP) and Moderate Income Homeownership Program (MIHP.)

13. City Council authorized the City staff to provide formal comments to the State Corporation Commission in regard to the proposed 24.9 percent increase in the Virginia-American Water Company's Alexandria District rates. (separate motion)

14. City Council authorized the City Manager to: 1. submit a grant application to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for funding in the amount of $177,138 and $177,138 for FY 2010, for continued funding of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program; 2. approved the continuation of four full-time grant-funded positions (one Collections Specialist II position, two Victim-Witness Specialist I positions, and one Victim-Witness Specialist II position) covered by the Victim-Witness Assistance Grant. These grant-funded positions would terminate upon the expiration of the grant, and the individuals who are to fill these positions would be notified of this condition of employment. It should be noted that there are no funds available in the City budget to continue these activities once the grant funds are expended; and 3. execute all necessary documents that may be required.

15. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.

16. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.

17. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.

18. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.

19. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.

20. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

21. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

22. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

23. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

24. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

25. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

26. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 22, 2008.

26. City Council approved the proposed ordinance on first reading and scheduled it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on April 12, 2008.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

OTHER

28. Consideration of Federal Issues For Discussion With Congressman James P. Moran.

City Council approved the items for which the City will request federal action by the 2009 Congress.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

CONTESTED APPOINTMENTS

29. Alexandria Citizen Corps Council
1 Citizen Member

City Council reappointed S. Pierre Paret as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Citizen Corps Council.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

30. Alexandria Commission for the Arts
1 Member Who Has Expertise in the Arts, Either As A Practitioner
of Various Art Disciplines, or As A Professional Administrator Working
in the Field

City Council reappointed Jim Allison as the one member who has expertise in the arts, either as a practitioner of various art disciplines, or as a professional administrator working in the field, to the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

31. Alexandria Commission on Persons With Disabilities
1 Citizen Member Who Has A Disability

City Council deferred this item for readvertising, and asked that any applicants that currently applied be considered in the next round after it is readvertised.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

32. Alexandria Consumer Affairs Commission
1 Representative of A Local Non-Profit Organization Which Deals With
Consumer Issues or An Employee of A State or Federal Agency Which
Deals With Consumer Issues

City Council waived the residency requirement and appointed James Sullivan as the one representative of a local non-profit organization which deals with consumer issues or an employee of a state or federal agency which deals with consumer issues to the Alexandria Consumer Affairs Commission.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

33. Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council
1 Emergency Rescue Technician Selected From Among the City’s
Emergency Rescue Technicians by His Peers Through A Voting
Process Established by the Fire Chief
The Director of the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services
Division
1 Representative of A Nursing Home Located in the City

City Council waived the residency requirement and appointed Brett Fitzgerald as the one emergency rescue technician selected from among the City's emergency rescue technicians by his peers through a voting process established by the Fire Chief, waived the residency requirement and appointed Brian Hricik as the director of the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services Division, and waived the residency requirement and appointed Holly Heislup as the one representative of a nursing home located in the City to the Alexandria Emergency Medical Services Council.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

34. Alexandria Planning Commission
1 Citizen Member

City Council reappointed H. Stewart Dunn as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Planning Commission.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

35. Alexandria Public Records Advisory Commission
1 Citizen Member

City Council appointed Jeannine Jeffrey as the one citizen member to the Alexandria Public Records Commission.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

36. Alexandria Affordable Housing Advisory Committee City Council reappointed Michael Caison as the one real estate professional with knowledge and experience in residential real estate to the Alexandria Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR DISCUSSION
None

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES

None

ORAL REPORTS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL

(a) Councilman Smedberg said he received a letter from a resident in Old Town who heard the conversation about the tour buses, and the resident sent him a CD about the tour buses and increase in volume, and they have put together a thoughtful plan, which he will share with staff.

(b) Councilman Wilson said Mayor Euille, Councilmember Lovain and he were in attendance at the graduation of the Parent-Leadership Training Institute a couple of weeks ago, and they congratulate all the graduates, and he congratulated the founder and former Councilwoman Joyce Woodson, as well as the chair of the board of directors and the executive director Fay Slotnick for all the great work they are doing. He said child care was provided at the education summit it hosted in February, and for the future, as it does some of the major city-wide events, it should consider continuing that tradition and being able to provide child care, so that parents who don't always have the opportunity to participate, can do so.

(c) Councilman Wilson said Council received a mailing from the Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties a new Ethics Guide that was produced for local government officials, and it was a class project at George Mason University's masters in public administration program, and he noted that Frank Shafroth, Congressman Moran's chief of staff, was the instructor, and two City employees, Craig Fifer and Paul Miller, were involved in the effort.

Mayor Euille said he served as a board member to the VML board and served on the executive committee and had a quarterly meeting this last Friday in Arlington, hosted by the Chair of the Arlington County Board, Jay Fisette, and they made mention of the ethics manual. He said 5,000 copies have been circulated state-wide to every elected official and it's now been recognized by the National League of Cities, where they have gotten permission to be able to share it with their member organizations throughout the country.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL

(a) Mayor Euille said a letter was received from Sheriff Lawhorne requesting a name change of the Jail, and that will be referred to the Naming Committee for consideration.

(b) Mayor Euille said he will be submitting a budget memo request that will incorporate dollars later on, and they believe they are on the right track in terms of some of the things they have already done different, such as the Mayor's Economic Sustainability Workgroup study how it can reduce reliance on real estate and property taxes and find ways to increase revenues through other means, but with all of these things, these things don't generate benefits immediately, but he feels they are on the right track. Mayor Euille said that doesn't mean they still can't consider doing other things, and as they continue to move forward, the economy continues to struggle, but he believed they can find other ways to reduce services and programs, including personnel levels citywide in order to achieve some measurable efficiencies and cost savings. Mayor Euille said they need to advocate for a process now in order to show the taxpayers that they are responsible to the economic challenges they face not only today but in subsequent years. He said he is not sure if even with all of that they have in place and are doing, that it will provide them with the information that is needed years down the road. Mayor Euille said that perhaps what they need to focus on is for staff to take this into consideration and respond back to Council in terms of what else is it that they can do, how can they do it, do they hire an outside consultant to come in and look holistically at how they operate as a government and then how long will it take, what will it cost to do something like that, or do they task the Mayor's sustainability workgroup to pick up on other areas that are critical and review them and come back with recommendations. He said he feels the need that Council has a responsibility to ensure to the citizens that they are looking at ways everyday to find efficiency, cost savings and do things that they haven't already done.

(c) Councilman Krupicka said Alexandria is now officially a member of ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), which is the organization that will help evaluate the air quality and create a benchmark for the City. ICLEI also has a lot of special tools and communications information and ideas about best practices they can apply to a lot of the environmental activities they are doing as a community.

(d) Councilman Krupicka said they talked at the budget work session last night about the fact that he has been working with the Department of Human Services and Legislative Director Caton for the last few months looking for ways to implement something Delegate Englin achieved in the General Assembly a few years ago, which is the ability to provide prescription drug cards to citizens so they can save enormous amounts of money on prescription drugs. Staff has now identified their chosen vendor for this service. The great thing is that it doesn't cost the City any money. Alexandria, by marketing a discount prescription drug card to the community will enable all residents, regardless of income, to save up to 30 or 40 percent on their prescription drug purchases at local pharmacies. He thanked the Department of Human Services staff and looked forward to them bringing it forward to Council for final enactment, as well as the savings the citizens will get by implementing this program.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

ORAL REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER

Director of Management and Budget Johnson, along with Deputy City Manager Jinks, made a presentation of revenue reestimate projections and adjustments and responded to questions of City Council.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

None

OTHER

36.1 Consideration of City Council Schedule.

City Council received the revised calendar, which includes: a change in the start time for the Saturday, April 12 Del Ray/Town of Potomac interpretive sign dedication from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.; the Spring for Celebration Rally on Friday, April 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Market Square; with a note of the Del Ray Anniversary Parade on Saturday, May 3, at 10:00 a.m.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

37. Consideration of Convening An Executive Session Closed to the Public To Discuss Land Use and Development Issues and Acquisition of Real Estate.

At 9:18 p.m., City Council convened in Executive Session, pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A)(1) and (A)(7) of the Code of Virginia, for the purpose of discussing the management performance of the ARHA Board and consulting with legal counsel and briefing by staff with respect to specific legal matters arising under the MOU between the City and ARHA; pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A)(7) for the purpose of discussing and consulting with legal counsel and staff with respect to actual and probable litigation involving land use and development at 1727 Stonebridge Road and Robinson Terminal, and pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A)(3) for the purpose of discussing the acquisition of real property for affordable housing, open space and other public purposes.

At 10:24 p.m., City Council reconvened the meeting.

City Council adopted the resolution pertaining to the Executive Session. (RES. NO. 2272)
Council Action:_________________________________________________________


The meeting adjourned at 10:25 p.m.

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Note: The action docket is a summary of Council's meeting deliberations prepared largely for staff follow-up. Formal minutes of the meeting, when approved by Council become the official record of the meeting and of Council decisions made at the meeting.


This docket is subject to change.

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Full-text copies of ordinances, resolutions, and agenda items are available in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of the Council. Meeting materials are also available on-line at alexandriava.gov/council
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City Council meetings are closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
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