Back to FY Dockets



Public Hearing Meeting
Saturday, April 12, 2008 - - 9:30 a.m.

* * * * *

Present: Mayor William D. Euille, Vice Mayor Redella S. Pepper, Members of Council Ludwig P. Gaines, K. Rob Krupicka, Timothy B. Lovain, and Justin M. Wilson.

Absent: Member of Council Paul C. Smedberg.

Also Present: Mr. Hartmann, City Manager; Mr. Pessoa, City Attorney; Ms. Evans, Deputy City Manager; Mr. Jinks, Deputy City Manager; Ms. Blackford, Communications Office, City Manager's Office; Police Captain Uzzell; Mr. Kincannon, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities; Mr. Baier, Director, Transportation and Environmental Services; Ms. Hamer, Director, Planning and Zoning; Mr. Josephson, Deputy Director, Planning and Zoning; Mr. Bray, Planning and Zoning; Ms. Triggs, Director, Finance Department; Mr. Johnson, Director, Office of Management and Budget; and Mr. Lloyd.

Recorded by: Jacqueline M. Henderson, City Clerk and Clerk of Council

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, with the exception of Councilman Smedberg, who was absent.

2. Public Discussion Period.

(a) Jack Sullivan, 4300 Ivanhoe Place, said he had intended to speak about a high speed boat that National Harbor was going to put on the Potomac - the Seadog, which has some concerns for Alexandrians and for those south of the bridge. He said it has not been deployed to National Harbor and when it is and if it poses a problem, he'll come back.

(b) Lucy Nahim Odo, 5375 Duke Street, member of the Patrick Henry Advisory Board, said the Patrick Henry Recreation Center is in great need of renovations. She said the center was placed in the budget of 2003 for the renovations and upgrade, and for whatever reason, the City removed the rec center from the budget in 2008, placing Charles Houston in place of it. She said the Patrick Henry Recreation Center is deplorable and she noted the concerns with the restrooms and the small space, and she asked that the budget include Patrick Henry.

Mayor Euille said the Director of Parks and Recreation is present and is listening to what is said. He said he and the City Manager will go out to Patrick Henry this week and see the conditions for themselves and report back to Council.

(c) Shawtae Sanders, 505 E. Howard Street, #404, spoke of the space need issue at Patrick Henry Recreation Center and said it houses more adolescents than any other recreation center in the City and noted they turn down 50 plus kids in the summer because of the lack of space. She noted concerns with the gym space and asked for Council's support to get Patrick Henry back on the 2009 budget for renovations and expansion.

Mayor Euille said that as part of the budget process, Council has been discussing all of their capital improvement needs, the construction programs for facilities and other space needs throughout the City. He said Patrick Henry is included as part of the planning process.

(d) Noah Williams, 6728 Duke Street, member of the Patrick Henry Advisory Board, spoke of removing the Patrick Henry Recreation Center from the budget and said Patrick Henry has many more children than Charles Houston, on the average of 300-500 annually. Mr. Williams said they would appreciate Council's vote in reinstating Patrick Henry Recreation Center in the 2009 budget.

(e) Amanda S. Henderson, 109 S. Jordan Street, president, Patrick Henry Advisory Board, spoke of the things not at Patrick Henry that are at other recreation centers, such as adequate space for tutoring of the kids or for them to do homework, the bathrooms are not handicapped accessible, there are no services for adults, there are no activities for the senior citizens, no basic computer labs, all the kids are in three rooms and they need more space in order to accommodate the kids, they have one meeting room, which is not adequate, the gym is not regulated and the weight room is inadequate. She urged Council to go to Patrick Henry to look at what they have been dealing with.

(f) Clarice Chandler, 108 N. Gordon Street, vice president, Patrick Henry Advisory Board, said the staff is located in the side rear of the building and the staff should be visible to anyone entering the building. A stranger can walk into Patrick Henry without being seen by the staff and anyone can pick up the children without staff being aware. She said the children are crammed together and they would appreciate Council looking at the facility. She said Alexandria has failed to honor their statement to present a safe and vibrant City of opportunity through the development of effective and efficient recreation programs and with the Americans With Disabilities Act. She asked for Council's support in reinstating Patrick Henry Recreation Center to the 2009 budget.

(g) Shocona Frazier, 4271 Duke Street, Apt. B5, member of the Patrick Henry Advisory Board, spoke of the need for renovation of the Center and accommodations need to be made for the disabled, and safety measures need to be put in place for their children.

Director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Kincannon responded to the comments, noting that they currently have a half million dollars in the Patrick Henry budget to start the initial planning process, and the recommendation was to move forward with that process in the upcoming year. The funding as far as identification in 2009 and beyond has to come to Council this next year, as they have to identify the full cost of the facility, and have to meet with the residents to identify the full scope of the project. He said Patrick Henry is the last center as far as renovations and there are still plans to move forward with that, but they want to come back with a full picture for Council as it goes into the Fall and next year.

Mayor Euille said he would make a commitment to the speakers that when they go out, which will be done early next week, if there are some health safety issues that are prevalent that need to be addressed, they will commit to doing just those things.

(h) Van Van Fleet, 26 Wolfe Street, president, Old Town Civic Association, spoke about concerns regarding traffic - the largest issue is the uncontrolled number of tour buses on the streets. The five drivers who no longer can have the metered spaces in front of City Hall, which are now dedicated to tour buses, are adding to the traffic woes on one of the residential areas. Other discussions have been held regarding additional spots, perhaps on The Strand. This will all add up, and he said he didn't see approval of the five spaces in front of City Hall by the Traffic and Parking Committee. He said that as the Old Town Civic Association's representative on the Collaborative, he has asked repeatedly at every meeting that three issues be addressed: tour buses, parking and motorcycles. He said these were all given the once-over and no solutions were presented on any of them. Mr. Van Fleet said that during the last year, they have known that they were going to get bombarded by the large increase of tour buses not only from National Harbor, but in general, and they now agree that the warnings have been a self-fulfilling prophecy. He said the Mayor and City Manager are appointing a task force and he has great faith that the individuals they appoint will be able to answer the mail on the issue - as they wasted two years previously and it was a disaster. Mr. Van Fleet said the parking issue was addressed by the plans director only to the extent that they now know where all the parking spaces are up and down King Street and now what they need to do is talk to all the businessmen who own the parking lots that are not used at night and on weekends, and he noted the parking lot across from Bilbo Baggins as a perfect example, when it converts to public parking at 5 p.m. every night and on weekends. Mr. Van Fleet said former Councilman David Speck presented a plan several years ago to move motorcycles off of King Street, which were defeated by Council, and the City should reserve parking spaces for motorcycle parking only, as the motorcycles are backed up against the sidewalk, spew out exhaust over diners, and it is an unhealthy situation.

(i) Gary Carr, 216 Aspen Street, spoke of the need for tracks at Mt. Vernon and Hammond Middle Schools, and he spoke of a member of the T.C. Williams track team who was hurt and on crutches from running on the concrete. He said when it rains, part of the Hammond field gets flooded and is unusable. He said one of the responsibilities of adults is the nurturing of children, to bring them from potential to achievement, and if they don't have the facilities to do that, then it can't be obtained. He asked Council to look at the issue, use economy of scale, and if they can't do it in a true surface, do it with asphalt and paint.

Councilman Gaines said that three days ago, he requested of the Budget and Parks and Recreation staff that they provide a specific update on what the planning is and priorities are and how they will go about correcting the problem Mr. Carr described.

(j) Sarita Schotta, 104 Prince Street, said she has lived on the 100 block of Prince Street for the final quarter of the 20th Century and is still there, and said they have been concernedof the water taxis, which they all supported on the waterfront, as it was to be in lieu of buses. Now they are finding out from tour bus operators that that is not the end of the story, that buses will be numerous and they are coming for a reason. She said she brought it to the attention of the Collaborator, who said they are just going to use Route 1 and go down Prince Street, as it is non-residential. Ms. Schotta said she thought Prince Street was residential, even though the Collaborator said they would turn on Royal Street or Fairfax Street and park at City Hall. She said it impacts those on lower Prince Street, as that is their main route across town. She said she would like to have further talks with whoever is coordinating this that this is not the time to have unrestricted buses and they don't think its sound policy and there is no place for them.

Mayor Euille said they are moving forward to put together a workgroup to address the issues of tour buses - not just the ones from National Harbor but those that come in from all other parts of the region.

REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES

ACTION CONSENT CALENDAR

Planning Commission

3. SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2008-0007 (A)
ENCROACHMENT #2008-0001 (B)
220 NORTH LEE STREET
OVERWOOD RESTAURANT
Public Hearing and Consideration of a request for a special use permit to reallocate the number of indoor seats to allow outdoor seating, and a request for an encroachment into the public right-of-way for outdoor seating; zoned CD/Commercial Downtown. Applicant: Atlas Partners

PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 6-0

(A copy of the Planning Commission report dated April 1, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 3; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

END OF ACTION CONSENT CALENDAR

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilman Gaines and carried unanimously, City Council adopted the consent calendar, as follows:

3. City Council approved the Planning Commission recommendation.

The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Gaines "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER

4. Public Hearing on the One-Year Action Plan For Housing and Community Development for City Fiscal Year 2009.

(A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated April 9, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 4; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilman Wilson and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing and moved for acceptance. The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye"
Wilson "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Lovain "aye"
Smedberg absent

REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES (continued)

Planning Commission (continued)

5. SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2008-0010
2000 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY
YOUR DOG'S BEST FRIEND
Public Hearing and Consideration of a request for an expansion and parking reduction; zoned CSL/Commercial Service Low. Applicant: Paul Haire

PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval w/amendments 6-0

(A copy of the Planning Commission report dated April 1, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 5; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

The following person participated in the public hearing on this item:

(a) David Fromm, 2307 E. Randolph Avenue, representing the Del Ray Citizens Association, spoke in support of the request.

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Vice Mayor Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Gaines "aye"
Pepper "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

Director of Transportation and Environmental Services Baier stated that staff met with Mr. Haire and they came to the conclusion that the grass utility strip would be four feet in width and the sidewalk behind that would be six feet in width.

Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning Josephson said they had an illustration that they used in their discussion with Mr. Haire.

Mr. Baier said the driveways onto Route 1 are being eliminated and the entrance will be off of Howell, which is a signalized road.

Mr. Haire, the applicant, said he is in agreement with everything said.

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Vice Mayor Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the Planning Commission recommendation, with the agreement for the four foot wide utility strip, the six foot wide sidewalk against the parking area, the driveways onto Route 1 are being eliminated, and the entrance will be off of Howell, as discussed with City staff. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Gaines "aye"
Pepper "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

6. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Adopt the New Braddock Road Metro Small Area Plan Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan. (#15, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated April 2, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 6; 4/12/08, 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. 6; 4/12/08, 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. 6; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilman Wilson and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and passed the ordinance to adopt the new Braddock Road Metro Small Area Plan Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan. The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye"
Wilson "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Lovain "aye"
Smedberg absent

The ordinance reads as follows:

ORDINANCE NO. 4524

AN ORDINANCE to amend and reordain the 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, by adopting and incorporating therein the new Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan as a Small Area Plan Chapter of the said master plan, and to repeal all provisions of the said master plan as may be inconsistent with such new chapter (Master Plan Amendment No. 2006-0005), and to designate the current edition as the 2008 edition of the 1992 Master Plan.

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Alexandria finds and determines that:

1. In Master Plan Amendment No. 2006-0005, the Planning Commission initiated an amendment to the 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, to adopt a new Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan as a Small Area Plan chapter thereof.

2. The said amendment has heretofore been approved by the planning commission, and city council, after full opportunity for comment and public hearing.

3. All requirements of law precedent to the adoption of this ordinance have been complied with; now, therefore,

THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That the 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, be, and the same hereby is, amended by adding thereto the Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan, attached hereto and incorporated herein fully by reference as Exhibit 1, together with the corrections and amendments shown on the Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan Errata Sheet, attached hereto and incorporated herein fully by reference as Exhibit 2, as a Small Area Plan Chapter of the said Master Plan.

Section 2. That the director of planning and zoning be, and hereby is, directed to record the foregoing master plan amendment, as part of the of 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 3. That all provisions of the 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, as may be inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance be, and same hereby are, repealed.

Section 4. That the 1992 Master Plan (1998 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, as heretofore amended and as amended by this ordinance, be, and the same hereby is, reordained as the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 5. That the city clerk shall transmit a duly certified copy of this ordinance to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and that the said Clerk of the Circuit Court shall file same among the court records.

Section 6. That this ordinance shall become effective upon the date and at the time of its final passage.

7. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Adopt the New Transportation Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan. (#16, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(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. 1 of Item No. 7; 4/12/08, 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. 2 of Item No. 7; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

The following persons participated in the public hearing on this item:

(a) Ingrid Sanden, 5238 Bessley Place, president, Cameron Station Civic Association, speaking on behalf of the board, said they appreciate the dialogue Council has had with their board over amendment T6.B, and the board recognizes the need to enhance and increase usage of all the City's metro stops and they support the amendment to T6.B, which outlines a process for the City to follow regarding an additional metro stop along Eisenhower Avenue. She said they are skeptical that adding density along Eisenhower Avenue in the short term will justify building another metro stop in the short or long term. Ms. Sanden said the board's concern is that in order to create the ridership that a new metro stop would require, additional density would need to be added to the surrounding area and an unintended consequence might be building additional roads to deal with the increased density. Other modes of mass transit along Eisenhower are explored in the plan, but building roads so that people can use a new metro stop is counter intuitive. She said that if a metro station is considered at some point in the future on Eisenhower Avenue, then a City-directed study should be undertaken and approved by Council if it's found to be feasible and desirable. A study investigating the viability and desirability of a new metro stop is one small way members of the communities impacted by such an action could share their opinions and make their voices heard and a City-directed feasibility study is a crucial step in the plan and must be included in the amendment language.

(b) Joanne Lepanto, 4009 N. Garland Street, president, Seminary Hill Association, requested that the ordinance language for T6.B be modified as follows:

T6.B. The City expects that any proposed amendment to the Eisenhower West Area Plan, the King Street Metro/Eisenhower Avenue Small Area Plan or the Seminary Hill Small Area Plan that includes land in the Eisenhower Valley and that proposes an increase in density beyond what is currently approved shall provide for a City-directed study of the desirability and feasibility of the development and funding of an additional Metrorail Station.

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilman Wilson and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing. The voting was as follows:

The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye"
Wilson "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Lovain "aye"
Smedberg absent

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilman Wilson and carried 6-0 by roll call vote, City Council passed the ordinance to adopt the new Transportation Chapter of the City of Alexandria Master Plan, with an amendment to the wording to Section T6.B, as follows:

"T6.B. The City expects that any proposed amendment to the Eisenhower West Area Plan, the King Street Metro/Eisenhower Avenue Small Area Plan or the Seminary Hill Small Area Plan that includes land in the Eisenhower Valley and that proposes an increase in density beyond what is currently approved shall provide for a City-directed study of the desirability and feasibility of the development and funding of an additional Metrorail Station. If a City-directed feasibility study concludes and City Council agrees that a new Metrorail station is viable and desirable, then any proposals to add additional density to the Eisenhower Valley sections of the above mentioned plans must include a specific plan to support the development of an additional Metrorail station on Eisenhower Avenue to serve the Valley."

Vice Mayor Pepper noted for the record that the new Transportation Chapter provides for studying the feasibility of a new Metro Station in the Eisenhower Valley. It does not include, approve or require such a station as part of the Master Plan, unless City Council takes further affirmative action to amend the plan.

The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye"
Wilson "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Lovain "aye"
Smedberg absent

The ordinance reads as follows:

ORDINANCE NO. 4525

AN ORDINANCE to amend and reordain the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, by adopting and incorporating therein the new Comprehensive Transportation Master Plan Chapter heretofore approved by city council as Master Plan Amendment No. 2008-0001, and to repeal all provisions of the said master plan as may be inconsistent with such new chapter.

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Alexandria finds and determines that:

1. In Master Plan Amendment No. 2008-0001, the Planning Commission initiated an amendment to the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, to adopt a new Comprehensive Transportation Master Plan Chapter of the said master plan.

2. The said amendment has heretofore been approved by the planning commission, and city council with amendments, after full opportunity for comment and public hearing.

3. All requirements of law precedent to the adoption of this ordinance have been complied with; now, therefore,

THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, be, and the same hereby is, amended by adding thereto the Comprehensive Transportation Master Plan Chapter, attached hereto and incorporated herein fully by reference as Exhibit 1.

Section 2. That the director of planning and zoning be, and hereby is, directed to record the foregoing master plan amendment, as part of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 3. That the previously existing Transportation Chapter, and all other provisions of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, as may be inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance, be, and same hereby are, repealed.

Section 4. That the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, as amended by this ordinance, be, and the same hereby is, reordained as the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 5. That the city clerk shall transmit a duly certified copy of this ordinance to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and that the said Clerk of the Circuit Court shall file same among the court records.

Section 6. That this ordinance shall become effective upon the date and at the time of its final passage.

8. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Establish a Transportation Advisory Committee. (#17, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(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. 1 of Item No. 8; 4/12/08, 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. 2 of Item No. 8; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Vice Mayor Pepper and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and passed the ordinance to establish the Transportation Advisory Committee. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Gaines "aye"
Pepper "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

The ordinance reads as follows:

ORDINANCE NO. 4526

AN ORDINANCE to amend Chapter 4 (COMMITTEES, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS) of Title 2 (GENERAL GOVERNMENT), of The Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended, by adding thereto a new Article U (ALEXANDRIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION).

THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That Chapter 4, Title 2 of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended, be, and the same hereby is, amended and reordained by adding thereto Article U, to read as follows:

ARTICLE U Alexandria Transportation Commission

Sec. 2-4-160 Alexandria Transportation Commission Established.

There is hereby established a standing advisory committee known as the Alexandria Transportation Commission.

Sec. 2-4-161 Same - composition.

The commission shall consist of nine members, appointed by the City Council as follows:

Sec. 2-4-162 Same - appointment, procedures, and organization.

(a) The commission shall be appointed by city council. The commission members shall be appointed for terms of three years; provided, however, that, except for the two citizen members, a member’s tenure on the commission shall terminate if such member ceases to be a member of his or her respective board, commission or council. Of the members first appointed, three shall serve a term of one year, three shall serve a term of two years, and three shall serve a term of three years, to be determined by lot. In the event a member’s position becomes vacant before the expiration of his or her regular term, the appointment shall be for the unexpired portion of the term.

(b) Except as to the manner of appointment specified in this article, the commission shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter.

Sec. 2-4-163 Same - functions; powers; duties.

(a) The Alexandria Transportation Commission is established to advocate and promote development of balanced transportation systems for the City through oversight of the implementation of the Transportation Chapter of the City’s adopted Master Plan.

Section 2. That this ordinance shall become effective upon the date and at the time of its final passage.

9. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance to Establish a New CDD No. 15 (Braddock Gateway.) (#18, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(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. 1 of Item No. 9; 4/12/08, 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. 2 of Item No. 9; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Wilson, seconded by Councilman Gaines and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and passed the ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance to establish a new CDD No. 15 (Braddock Gateway.) The voting was as follows:

Wilson "aye" Pepper "aye"
Gaines "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Lovain "aye"
Smedberg absent

The ordinance reads as follows:

ORDINANCE NO. 4527

AN ORDINANCE to amend and reordain Table 1 (COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS) of Section 5-602(A), under Section 5-600 (CDD/COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS), by adding thereto a new CDD No. 15 (BRADDOCK GATEWAY), and to amend and reordain Sheets 44.03 and 54.01 of the "Official Zoning Map, Alexandria, Virginia," adopted by Section 1-300 (OFFICIAL ZONING MAP AND DISTRICT BOUNDARIES), to designate land zoned CDD No. 15, all of the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance, in accordance with the text amendment and rezoning heretofore approved by city council as Text Amendment No. 2008-0002 and Rezoning No. 2007-0005.

WHEREAS, the City Council finds and determines that:

1. In Text Amendment No. 2008-0002 and Rezoning No. 2007-0005, the planning commission, having found that the public necessity, convenience, general welfare and good zoning practice so require, approved an application to establish a new CDD No. 15, for 7.06 acres of land bounded by Payne Street, First Street, Fayette Street and Route 1 (1100, 1200, 1200A North Fayette Street and 1219 First Street; Zoning and Tax Map Parcel Nos. 44.03-06-03, 44.03-06-03.L1, 44.03-06-03.L2 and 54.01-02-04);

2. The City Council in adopting this ordinance expressly adopts, ratifies, affirms and concurs in the finding and action of the Planning Commission above stated;

3. All requirements of law precedent to the adoption of this ordinance have been complied with; now, therefore,

THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That Table 1 of Section 5-602(A) be, and the same hereby is, amended to by adding thereto the following new language for CDD No. 15, Braddock Gateway:

Section 2. That Sheets 44.03 and 54.01 of the "Official Zoning Map, Alexandria, Virginia," adopted by Section 1-300 of the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance, be, and the same hereby are, amended by changing the zoning of the property described above and as shown on the sketch plan entitled “REZ #2007-0005, MPA #2007-0002, CDD #2007-0002, SUP(TMP) #2007-0079,” dated March 4, 2008, attached hereto and incorporated fully by reference as Exhibit 1,

From: CRMU-H and OCM-50
To: CDD No. 15

Section 3. That the director of planning and zoning be, and hereby is, directed to record the foregoing text and map amendments.

Section 4. That Section 5-602(A), as amended pursuant to Section 1 of this ordinance, and Sheets 44.03 and 54.01of the "Official Zoning Map, Alexandria, Virginia," as amended pursuant to Section 2 of this ordinance, be, and the same hereby are, reordained as part of the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance.

Section 5. That this ordinance shall become effective on the date and at the time of its final passage, and shall apply to all applications for land use, land development or subdivision approval provided for under the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance which are on such date pending before any city department, agency or board, or before city council, shall apply to all such applications which may be filed after such date, and shall apply to all other facts and circumstances subject to the provisions of the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance, except as may be provided in Article XII of the Zoning Ordinance.

10. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage 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. (#19, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(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. 1 of Item No. 10; 4/12/08, 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. 2 of Item No. 10; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Pepper, seconded by Councilmember Lovain and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and passed the 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. The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Gaines "aye"
Lovain "aye" Krupicka "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

The ordinance reads as follows:

ORDINANCE NO. 4528

AN ORDINANCE to amend and reordain the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, by adopting and incorporating therein the amendment heretofore approved by city council to such master plan as Master Plan Amendment No. 2007-0004 and no other amendments, and to repeal all provisions of the said master plan as may be inconsistent with such amendment.

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Alexandria finds and determines that:

1. In Master Plan Amendment No. 2007-0004, the Planning Commission approved an amendment to the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan Chapter of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, to add “waste water treatment facility” as a public utility use on Blocks 29 and 30 of such Small Area Plan.

2. The said amendment has heretofore been approved by the planning commission, and city council with an amendment, after full opportunity for comment and public hearing.

3. All requirements of law precedent to the adoption of this ordinance have been complied with; now, therefore,

THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan Chapter of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, be, and the same hereby is, amended by incorporating the changes set forth below:

Section 2. That the director of planning and zoning be, and hereby is, directed to record the foregoing master plan amendment, as part of the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan Chapter of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 3. That all provisions of the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, as may be inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance be, and same hereby are, repealed.

Section 4. That the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, as amended by this ordinance, be, and the same hereby is, reordained as the 1992 Master Plan (2008 ed.) of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

Section 5. That the city clerk shall transmit a duly certified copy of this ordinance to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and that the said Clerk of the Circuit Court shall file same among the court records.

Section 6. That the director of planning and zoning be, and hereby is, directed to docket the amendment made by this ordinance for revocation by the planning commission and city council, in the event that the Alexandria Sanitation Authority has not completed the acquisition of Blocks 29 and 30 of the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan for utilization as a waste water treatment facility on or before April 12, 2009.

Section 7. That this ordinance shall become effective upon the date and at the time of its final passage.

11. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance Making Supplemental Appropriations For FY 2008. (#27, 4/8/08) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

(A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated April 2, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 11; 4/12/08, 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. 11; 4/12/08, 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. 11; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Vice Mayor Pepper and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and passed the ordinance making supplemental appropriations for FY 2008. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Gaines "aye"
Pepper "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

The ordinance reads as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 4529

AN ORDINANCE making supplemental appropriations for the support of the government of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, for fiscal year 2008.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

Section 1. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby make provision for and appropriate to the funds hereafter named the amounts hereafter stated that is required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city for fiscal year 2008, the source of such amount being external grant awards for which revenues were authorized and adjusted after July 1, 2007, but not appropriated, and further that the Council does hereby allot the amount so appropriated to the several city departments for fiscal year 2008, as follows:

SPECIAL REVENUE FUND

ESTIMATED REVENUE:

Office on Women
$24,449
Commonwealth’s Attorney
(11,015)
Court Services
18,100
Housing
994,644
Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse
200,894
Human Services
653,759
Total Estimated Revenue
$ 1,891,846
APPROPRIATION:

Office on Women
$ 24,449
Commonwealth’s Attorney
(11,015)
Court Services
18,100
Housing
994,644
Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse
200,894
Human Services
653,759
Total Appropriation
$ 1,891,846

Section 2. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby make provision for and appropriate to the fund hereafter named the amount hereafter stated that is required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city for fiscal year 2008, the source of such amount being Capital Project Fund revenue, and further that the Council does hereby allot the amount so appropriated for fiscal year 2008, as follows:

CAPITAL PROJECTS

ESTIMATED REVENUE:

Capital Projects
$ 94,031
Total Estimated Revenue
$ 94,031

APPROPRIATION:
Capital Projects
$ 94,031
Total Appropriation
$ 94,031

Section 3. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby and make provision for and transfer appropriations in the General Fund in the amounts hereafter stated that is required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city.
GENERAL FUND

APPROPRIATION:

Office of Communications
1,282,883
City Manager
(317,694)
Information Technology Services
(865,189)
Non-Departmental
$ (100,000)
Total Appropriation
$ 0

Section 4. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby and make provision for and transfer appropriations in the General Fund in the amounts hereafter stated that is required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city.

GENERAL FUND

APPROPRIATION:

Office of Citizen Assistance
5,000
Non-Departmental
$ (5,000)
Total Appropriation
$ 0

Section 5. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby make provision for and appropriate to the fund hereafter stated the amount hereafter stated that are required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city in fiscal year 2008, the source of such amount being federal prisoner per diem revenue, and further, that the Council does hereby allot the amount so appropriated to the Office of the Sheriff for fiscal year 2008, as follows:

GENERAL FUND

ESTIMATED REVENUE:

Federal Prisoner Per Diem $ 36,554
Total Estimated Revenue
$ 36,554
APPROPRIATION:

Sheriff $ 36,554
Total Appropriation
$ 36,554

Section 6. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby make provision for and appropriate to the fund hereafter stated the amount hereafter stated that are required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city in fiscal year 2008, the source of such amount being Recovered Damages revenue, and further, that the Council does hereby allot the amount so appropriated to the General Services Department for fiscal year 2008, as follows:

GENERAL FUND

ESTIMATED REVENUE:

Recovered Damages $ 23,211
Total Estimated Revenue
$ 23,211
APPROPRIATION:

General Services $ 23,211
Total Appropriation
$ 23,211

Section 7. That the Council of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, does hereby make provision for and appropriate to the fund hereafter named the amount hereafter stated that are required to defray certain expenditures and liabilities of the city for fiscal year 2008, the source of such amount being Charges for Services revenue and further, that the Council does hereby allot the amount so appropriated for fiscal year 2008 as follows:

SPECIAL REVENUE FUND

ESTIMATED REVENUE:
Charges for Services
$ 126,000
Total Estimated Revenues
$ 126,000

APPROPRIATION:

Transportation and Environmental Services
$ 126,000
Total Appropriation $ 126,000

Section 8. That this ordinance shall become effective upon the date and time at the time of its final passage.

12. Public Hearing on a Report on Changing the Election of the Mayor, Members of the City Council and Members of the School Board From the May General Election Cycle to the November General Election Cycle, and of a Resolution Proposing an Advisory Referendum On This Issue During the November 4, 2008, General Election. (#31, 3/11/08)

(A copy Mayor Euille and Councilman Wilson's memorandum dated February 12, 2008, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 4/12/08, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.)

Mayor Euille noted that this will be for consideration to put in the hands of the voters and citizens for a referendum in November, 2008. Action on this item will be taken on April 22.

The following persons participated in the public hearing on this item:

(a) Van Van Fleet, 26 Wolfe Street, said the Mayor appointed a task force in March 2007 on what changes should be made to the election system, and the task force that was appointed and the task force's final position was to leave everything in place. In addition, besides now recommending moving the election to November, no adoption of a ward system or staggered terms were pursued. He said that since it was not the position Council wanted, the Mayor appointed a committee to come back to City Council and recommend what changes they should adopt, and the committee consisted of Mayor Euille and Councilman Wilson, and he asked why the committee wasn't composed of citizens without an ax to grind. Mr. Van Fleet asked what it will do in November if the results of the advisory referendum are not what is desired. He said it is unfortunate the adoption of staggered terms and wards are not on the proposed referendum, and the only way to change the make-up of Council is through a ward system, which will put a halt on the one-party government. He said Democrats occupy all 25 of the elected positions in Alexandria, and there are no Democrat or Republican issues in Alexandria, there are only citizen related issues, and there has to be a viable mix of ideas in order to make a legislative body truly effective, and without that, it has gridlock, overdevelopment and infrastructure collapse. He asked why not put wards and staggered terms on the November ballot, as that will make an already flawed process much fairer.

(b) Stephen E. Dreikorn, 2701 Park Center Drive, said he is happy Council had the foresight to create the committee, which investigated every aspect of municipal election changes last year, however, he is equally unhappy that certain Councilmembers feel they should disregard the hard work and dedicated time of those committee members who laid the matter to rest. Changing the elections to November can only be described as an incumbency protection plan. He said that by moving the elections to November, the Council would be essentially drowning out any genuine policy debate that would benefit the voters and help them with their decisions, thereby distancing themselves with their constituents interest. With Fall elections being monetarily over-inflated, it would be difficult for any candidate to raise enough money to increase their name i.d., let alone run a solid campaign. Mr. Dreikorn said it would become a situation where people with name i.d., usually the incumbents, would easily win reelection. Over time, the inability to raise funds would drastically decrease the number and quality of candidates and the citizens would be voting blindly, not at all, or the races would be uncontested. He said the May elections allow the local candidates to better understand their electorate and the May elections would keep a better check on the elected officials. He said if the elections are moved to November, they will prevent constituents with having closeness with Council, as the voters will be overwhelmed with broader issues. He urged Council to continue the tradition of local elections in May.

(c) Cullen Linebarger, 2461 N. Stevens Street, said participating in politics is part of their civic duty, and the more they pay attention to the activities of the politicians, the more likely they are to pay attention to the needs of the constituents. He said he wanted to encourage young people to get more involved in the process. He said his concern with the maneuver is it's still the wrong decision, as the issues in November are the Senate and Federal elections. He said Council should vote down the item and keep partisanship out of local politics.

(d) Anna Leider, 125 N. Lee Street, #401, secretary, Alexandria Electoral Board, said the Board is prepared to administer the City's election on any statutorally permitted date and take no position on what those dates may be. On the question of increasing participation in municipal elections, she spoke of a COG board meeting yesterday in which several suggestions were given, such as Arlington's survey on where their residents get their information about county-related things, and 73 percent said they got most of their news about Arlington from The Citizen, which is their newsletter that is mailed to every household. Also, a great variety of media to distribute elections information is given, such as Craig's List to recruit election workers, and they will explore ENews, neighborhood association list serves and other on-line communities like Face Book or My Space, and also through the blogging community.

(e) Michael E. Hobbs, 419 Cameron Street, said the stated objective of moving the election from May to November is to increase the number of voters in that election, and that would almost certainly be the superficial result. But the unintended consequences of such a move could do grievous harm to the quality, intensity and importance of real public participation in their public life. They might strengthen the appearance of public participation in the elections, but in fact do critical damage to the reality of that ideal in Alexandria. If the election were shifted, the number of voters for local office might increase significantly - that reflects the reality that many more people vote in national than in local elections and that having come out to vote for president or governor, many might also vote for the local offices if they were included on the same ballot. The number of votes may not be the most important, but the value of public participation in Alexandria is measured also be the engagement of citizens in their political campaigns, both as volunteers and contributors. He spoke of the openness of the process to new candidates, active participation in the public policy debate, local media coverage, candidates forums and family and neighborhood discussions. By all of those measures, the quality and importance of public participation in the choice of their local government would be drastically reduced by shifting the municipal elections to November. He said that if the local election had to compete for attention with a presidential or gubernatorial election in November, the ability of City Council or School Board candidates to attract campaign volunteers and contributions would be seriously impaired, and he asked which the media would concentrate on - Obama vs. McCain or the City elections. Shifting the election from May to November shifts it from the most important election to the least, from the top of the ticket to the bottom.

(f) Don Mela, 501 Slaters Lane, #722, said it has to answer if the proposal to shift dates actually improve the quality of government and are they dealing with the causes of reduced participation, and he thought the answer was no in both cases. He said he felt the referendum is almost certain to say to shift it, as about seventy-five percent of those voting in the Presidential election would not vote in the next Council election in May and about seventy-five percent or less did not vote in the previous Council election. The areas that do have a big fall-off are most likely to be in the western part of the City and those areas vote democratic a lot more than most. He said they ought to examine the causes, and this is not a fix that will improve government at all. He said if the referendum was on the ballot, it should be in May rather than November.

(g) David Fromm, 2307 E. Randolph Avenue, said he wasn't sure that so much should be placed on the metric of engaging the community by citizen participation in the electoral process, given the number of civic associations, committees, task forces and working groups in the City and the level of citizen participation. One of those committees, after collecting information and hearing testimony, recommended that no change be made to the election process. He said one of his criticisms of the committee was that they did not ascertain why the citizens chose not to participate in the electoral process. Essentially, he said, they are asking those that vote in November if they would like the convenience of not having to vote in May. Mr. Fromm said the more important factor is the perception that the election is important and that it makes a difference, and perhaps they need to do more to convince the non-participators to get out and vote. If they move the election, then Council needs to consider going to four year elections to keep the election cycle. Mr. Fromm said he didn't believe the ballot question collects the information it needs to make an informed decision required to develop such a document and the motion does nothing to engender the citizen participation that is the whole point of the exercise. He said if it must go down this path, he recommended reconvening the committee and task them to revisit the issues and draft an appropriate set of ballot questions. If the committee cannot develop the ballot questions, then it should approve the current question so there is something in place. It should create a City webpage dedicated to the issue, to include today's docket item, oral and written testimony, the 1992/1993 and 2007 committee reports, the minutes and the working documents of the most recent committee, and it should provide a mechanism or forum for public discussion. The question should not move forward if less than two-thirds of the registered voters do not participate in the election.

(h) Katy Cannady, 20 East Oak Street, said there is only one reason to change the date of a City Council and School Board election - that it would increase turnout and that seemingly logical assumption has flaws. She spoke of her childhood in Texas with "bedsheet" ballots, and she said with 14 candidates for City Council and 27 candidates for School Board, in addition to candidates for State and National office, Alexandria will have its own bedsheet ballot. She said not only will it create a less involved electorate, but it will be an electorate which will not vote in every race. She said people will vote in the National and State offices, as those are the ones they have more information about. With the change, they will have lost something valuable - the fairly well informed interested electorate that votes in the Spring and will have gained only a less than expected number of new voters. She said there is also the matter of the unpredictability of changes in election law. If it takes the position that it must have participation in the general election, then it cannot logically support allowing the party candidates to be chosen in unassembled caucuses held in only one location in the City. They will have to have a city-wide primary and that will be an extra expense to taxpayers. She said scheduling a referendum on changing the election date at the same time as the Presidential election is unacceptable and guarantees that there will be no public debate on the change that could have far reaching effects.

(i) Jack Sullivan, 6300 Ivanhoe Place, said Richard Hobson, who headed the commission, had to attend a funeral and has submitted a written statement to Council. Mr. Sullivan said that as he's told his government 101 classes that as long as elections are free and fair, the details of where and when and how are not moral issues but practical in nature. At the same time, those details have political effects - some intended and some not. He said he personally did not favor moving the City Council elections to the Fall because he feared local issues will be lost amid National and State concerns. Mr. Sullivan said there is nothing wrong with asking voters through a referendum what they think, but what concerned him is that the views are being sought on only one of several important questions, among those are should Council terms be lengthened or staggered, should Council persons be elected from districts or returned to the ward system, and should Council candidates run as independents rather than on a party label. He said Councilman Wilson's presentation at Seminary Hill said some of the other issues will be considered by Council following the referendum and the Charter changes may be requested. Why then not see what the voters think on some of the other issues. He said his idea is to have a referendum as it wishes, but be brave enough not to ask just one question but other major questions surrounding the elections.

(j) Lisa Miller, 61 E. Taylor Run Parkway, urged Council to maintain the elections. If it does the referendum, it should be submitted during the May elections, as those people are engaged and showing up. She said the closer they are to seeing what Council does and voting on it, the more informed the voters will be. She submitted that local issues will get lost in the Federal and State issues. She said she couldn't think of a more important thing than having the discussions about budgetary matters and performance of the local City government and schools at a separate time.

(k) John Howard Eisenhour, 630 S. Pitt Street, said people are exhausted with elections, and if it doesn't do something, it will get to 2012, where it will have a caucus in January, a Presidential primary in February, a local election in May, a primary for Senate and House seats in June and the general election in November, and that is way too much. Mr. Eisenhour said they need to amend the resolution with two things - the switching to the four year term and a transition scheme which gets the four-year election established for the leap year plus three, which is only Delegates and State Senators, which would be the time to do a November City Council/School Board election, so to transition to 2011 would involve in the next Council election running for two and a half year terms, which would put it in a position to have a November 2011 system and then it would regularly do a four-year cycle.

(l) Joanne Lepanta, 4009 N. Garland Street, said she is neither a Republican or a Democrat, and she said that if Council does vote in favor of the referendum, it will open the door to the possibility of their local elections being lumped in and over-shadowed by Federal and State elections in November and she didn't think it would be a good thing for Alexandria. She asked what the goal was - to have more votes or to have votes that are more meaningful and have an election process that is more meaningful. She said she supports the recommendation of the committee created to review the election process that the current process not be changed and she urged Council to vote against the resolution for a referendum on the issue.

(m) Julie Crenshaw Van Fleet, 26 Wolfe Street, said a comment was made about wards and Councilman Krupicka said that then only one person would get everyone's attention. She said she was sorry, but they don't need everyone's attention. She said they need to have a referendum on occasion about issues that people might want to voice their opinion on, however, the wording of this referendum is too vague and the idea that if it passed, it would be discussed by City Council and other decisions be made about how the information from this would be sent to the General Assembly is not correct. She said if they want to have information on what people think about the voting processes, then it needs to be much more specific and more inclusive. She said she agreed completely with Jack Sullivan, much of what Michael Hobbs has said, and some of the people who have put a lot of thought into a proper process that is well thought-through and has a great deal of analysis behind it. She said Don Mela has done a lot of statistics on what goes on with the elections over the years. She said the way the referendum is written is not acceptable to be put on a ballot in November, as many people who go to the polls in November will vote yes for elections in November. The suggestion of having this kind of vote should be in May when it has more time to look at what it wants to include and how it should be worded. Ms. Crenshaw Van Fleet suggested looking at term limits, putting it on an off year if in November, and have a ward system, as they have no representation in this part of the City.

(n) Pat Troy, 310 Wolfe Street, said that a committee was formed who said to leave it alone, and he asked why try to fix something that is not broken. He said he ran as an Independent and a Republican. There are 25 elected offices in the City and they are all held by Democrats and Mr. Troy said he didn't think they should mess with it, as even if it moves it to November, the Democrats will still win all of the seats again. Mr. Troy said Mr. Sullivan mentioned some great things - they are a unique City, they have an election and the people that care about the City vote in May. The people that vote in November don't care about the City - they vote in the Presidential election and will vote on a referendum, but they don't care, and when November comes around, it will have the same percentage of voters voting.

(o) Judy Miller, 507 N. View Terrace, president, League of Women Voters, said she's heard that some question their integrity on allowing the referendum to occur. She said she intends to enumerate benefits that could possibly happen. Every third year, there would not have to be funding for a local May election, which would save dollars. Since people are bombarded every Fall with election campaign materials, it would ensure a higher turnout of voters who recognize that voting does take place every November. She said the public would view this as beneficial and she predicted that if it were to occur in November, they would say yes, it was a good idea. However, there are other benefits that can be construed as benefits. Long-term incumbency could be eliminated. If there is dissatisfaction with the current policy, the once a year voter now gets an opportunity to throw them out. Funding for individual candidates may be a cost savings for some of them, as they can ride the coattails of the better funded, more well-known State or Federal candidates who always receive greater press and media coverage. The party will see they get included in brochures and ads, and it could be a cost-saving benefit to some candidates. Ms. Miller said branding is a term marketers use in introducing a product, and an untested candidate who wants to win can spend big dollars in promoting himself, buying lots of t.v. time, putting up signs and create a brand for himself that is recognizable to many people when they vote, and this candidate could be a shoe-in during a local November election. She said the League publishes a candidates questionnaire for elections, and she was not sure if publishers would be willing to publicize as many as 26 local candidates in addition to the coverage of larger offices. Ms. Miller said it is questionable as to whether the candidates could capture the attention of the public. She said their representative on the task force does not agree with their effort.

(p) Connie Graham, 1217 Michigan Court, said she became involved in the neighborhood when they bought a townhome and started to participate in the civic association. She said they may not have as much of a problem as they think, as it needs to look at the expected voter turnout, as it has many transitory voters who are not likely to invest much time in the local issues. She said it needs to do a survey of the demographics and compare the situations to surrounding cities. Ms. Graham said there are many citizens groups who are pitted against each other rather than work together, and that is not a good thing - the neighborhoods need to be brought together and they need to invest in the neighborhoods more. If it wants more voter turnout from renters, it should try to find target groups to address their concerns. She said there is only a finite number of civic activists and workers, and they can only work so much if they have to work at both the local and national level, as it might be a bit taxing. She said she doesn't support the referendum.

(q) Poul Hertel, 1217 Michigan Court, said the key question is participation and why it doesn't happen. The national election has seen a tremendous amount of turnout and participation, and it clearly has nothing to do with the election cycle. He said two things are clearly problematic - one is it is up to the voters to decide. It has to be an informed decision - it cannot come in and move the election without even considering the consequences. The consequences have been delineated and have been demonstrated by studies, which shows that local issues will be in competition with national issues and they will lose. He said it will become much more expensive for people to run for elections. At the national level, money has been considered a big part of the problem and it will translate into the local level if it allows the local issues to drown under national elections. Mr. Hertel said they have posed the question in the wrong way, which is do you want to change it. He suggested that the question should be yes, I'm satisfied with the election and the cycle that it is now, so that one would have to say no, they want the change.

(r) Bernie Schulz, 3272 Martha Custis Drive, said he sat for election in 2006 and it had a spirited contest with the various civic association debates. He said that is central to the reason why he moved to the City and he came here because of the participatory government that individuals pride themselves on. The City Council charged the task force two years ago to study the issue, and the central concern he has is the very reason they are here today - the fact that Council commissioned the task force to look at elections in 2007, there was clear and convincing evidence that was presented as to why not move the elections. It pushes the local issues out of the picture if they are to be moved. Mr. Schulz said the task force recommendation was brought forth by concerned and active citizens, and the Council affording that effort again has shown the reason why the public is not voting. Their voices don't matter and the public that was engaged in the process sends a clear message that there is an agenda and the latest of the three task forces convened because the answer that was received two years ago was not to the liking of the Council. He said it smacks at an agenda of an incumbency plan that was suggested by an earlier speaker. He urged Council to think about the consequences of what it does to public perception. He concurred with the previous speaker that the issue be delayed to May, and he noted he is opposed to the referendum.

(s) Douglas Thurman, 804 Duke Street, said Vice Mayor Pepper once described their candidate campaign signs as being like flowers popping up in the Spring, and she may have hit on a very important issue as to why and when they hold City Council elections. Commonwealth elections are not held in Presidential years - it is done so the focus can be on Virginia as well as the sister cities of Fairfax, Clifton, Herndon and Vienna, who have all maintained May elections. He said that every three years, the citizens can watch the candidate signs for who is running for Mayor, Council and School Board. He said he would not want to see them suffer a political silent Spring where the local candidates and messages may become overshadowed and obscured by the campaign signs of Federal and Commonwealth candidates. He said if Council does want to do the referendum, it should be done in May when the citizens turn out for local issues.

(t) Chris Marston, 110 Shooters Court, chair, Alexandria Republican City Committee, said he has worked on ten elections in Alexandria and it is really challenging to be down ballot, whether it is a run for the House of Delegates the same year the Governor is on the ballot, or to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the same year that the President is on the ballot, as they struggle to get the attention of the voters and media and to get their name well known. He said he didn't think a move to November when the local elected officials would be very far down the ballot. He said he concurred that this is not the right question to put to the voters - rather the question it should put is a very specific question with a very specific outcome, and other questions should be put on a referendum ballot.

(u) Christopher I. Kachouroff, 804 N. Pryor Street, said he is one of those voters who has never voted in a City election since he came to Alexandria in 1999, and the issue of why is a message. If they have a message of truth, he didn't think it mattered if one was a Democrat or Republican. It is a matter of right or wrong, and from his perspective, he didn't get involved in City politics because he didn't think it affected him. He said he didn't think the local politics meant anything to him until he started working on a National election and he realized how time consuming it is to know National issues. He said he is now someone who will engage in City politics and support candidates for office that speak the truth, have a message of freedom and civil liberty and a message of good government. He said if it puts it in November, his vote is meaningless.

(v) Jessalyn Fuentes, 3304 Wyndham Circle, #136, said she moved to Alexandria in February and moved to the City because of the quality of life Alexandria offers. She said she is annoyed to see that not long after moving to Alexandria, she saw City Council moving to have a proposal to reelect themselves when they don't need it. She said that framing the ballot question, in which a voter is already certain to say yes doesn't pass the straight face test. She said her concern with the change in the election day are that in the run-up to the November election, her mailbox and answering machine will be flooded by National and State campaigns. She said straight ticket voting and long ballots puts the party ahead of candidates and it does a great disservice to voters who deserve competitive elections. She said she wants her local concerns addressed and moving the local election to November will not achieve that. She urged Council to reject the proposal.

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Councilman Gaines and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Pepper "aye"
Gaines "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

Mayor Euille said that for public disclosure, within his party more than a year ago, they had a similar discussion about moving elections, and he arrived at the meeting late and spoke because he was concerned because of many of the same reasons expressed today in terms of being lost in a November election. He said people have told him that the reason the call to consider changing the election from May to November failed was because he said he was opposed to it. He said there is no real clear cut answer or solution, but this is something that evolves after every election, and about term limits, staggered terms and the ward system. Mayor Euille said he agreed with many that spoke today that the proposed resolution is not satisfactory and Council is having the public hearing so they can modify it and make it much more reflective of asking the right question of the voters. Even if it moves forward, he didn't want to have the referendum in November, it should be done in May, and he said there needs to be an education process for the voters. He said they owe it to the community to have as many as possible engagements for education and community outreach.

Councilman Krupicka said he appreciates the comments that if they are going to ask a question, they should ask a full question and not just a partial question. He said he appreciates that the chair of the Republican Committee and members of the Committee spoke, as they made outstanding comments. He said he personally was not sure if November versus May is the bigger issue for competitive elections or staggered terms versus at-large. He said all at-large and all at the same time is probably the biggest incumbency protection thing they do in the elections, as they are never able to identify or talk to issues related to you, as it ends up being an entire ticket running together. He said he wanted to be sure to look at the right questions to ask and he asked the public to send them thoughts on it.

Vice Mayor Pepper said that if they should go forward with some kind of referendum question, she would like to have input as to how it is written and phrased.

Councilmember Lovain said all of the discussion is about May versus November, even though the issue is really about the referendum. The problem the referendum is trying to fix is the low turnout in May, but if it goes to November, it is an artificially inflated turnout. There is more focus on municipal elections when they are held in May, but he said he was troubled by making it more difficult for people to vote, so those that are more knowledgeable and engaged are voting. The question is do they do the referendum in November or May or in both. He said it may well be that if it is a close vote, they say it would have to be a super majority to make the change. The question then arises of if it is the right question to ask or should it ask additional questions. Then it has to get into the wording of each of the questions. He said it comes down to they shouldn't revisiting every issue just in case it would be better to do it somewhat differently, and is the system broken. He said he is inclined to say that it is their responsibility to decide and they shouldn't make any change unless they are sure the alternative would be better, so at this point, the election didn't need to be changed. Councilmember Lovain said when people talk about wards, more Alexandrian's live west of Quaker Lane than live east of Quaker Lane, so if it did all six seats by ward, three or four of those members of Council would be from the West End. He said the vote on the task force on the issue was 7-2, and those were people who looked long and hard at the issue. He said he is concerned that if they put it on the ballot, would they get an informed answer, and they would have to make sure people are really educated in their response. Councilmember Lovain said he is currently inclined to oppose this.

Mayor Euille said as far as timing, there is no agenda in terms of something that has to happen today or tomorrow and maybe the timing should correspond to the 2011/2012 election. If it is done at all, it needs to be done right and in a more inclusive and cohesive way.

Councilman Gaines said he associates his comments with those of Councilmember Lovain and many of the speakers who spoke in opposition to a referendum. The intentions are well intended, he said, and the consequences are what they have to look at, and they have to ask themselves the why question and what is the motivation behind it. On the face, the motivation is articulated as a desire to get out more votes. Without having any explanation in any of the documents as to why they have low voter turnout, he believed they don't prescribe a remedy unless they diagnose the illness and have a clear understanding of why. To do so gives the appearance that there is some other motivation behind it. For better or not, the perception is that this is a back door way of achieving an end. The task force gave its recommendations and they have to respect the judgement of those citizens. He said he has a very fundamental problem with the referendum. He said he knows the problem of low voter turnout, particularly in minority communities and in the West End. But by saying that by changing the date they increase the numbers doesn't get at the heart of the problem that they have all failed to diagnose, and that is voter education and motivating folks. Showing people that their vote matters and decisions aren't made pro forma or by some unseen agenda, which they are not, but there is that perception that that is taking place. He said he didn't think the referendum was the best way to do that and he would not support it. He said what they have heard is that the way the question has been framed is not right. They have to relook the issue and there are remedies and more questions that need to be added to the one ballot question other than to just move the date. Councilman Gaines asked how they would ensure that the voters are educated about all the candidates, regardless of their party, if they are competing with so many other better funded, multi-million dollar national elections. He said his intention is not just to get more voters out. He said he is for better democracy, better fairness and for understanding an issue before they prescribe a remedy.

Councilman Wilson said he has a unique perspective on the issue in that he was the only one to run alone citywide. He said others have said there is a question of whether they have a problem, but when 9,400 people chose the vice mayor last time around, 12 percent of the registered voters in the City, that is a crisis for the democracy and anyone who suggests that is not a problem, he didn't understand what is a problem. He said people who are turning out in the elections are primarily white, from the east end, older folks and homeowners. There is a whole group of people who are left out in the process, and he thought that was a crisis and he thought the system was broken when that is the case. He said Councilman Gaines suggested this is a backdoor way to an end, and it is a way to an end and is a way of getting more people to participate in the election. That is the end he is trying to get to. He said he is receptive to the multiple referendum question. He said it comes down to whether a group of seven insiders who were hand-picked by the Mayor get to decide the issue or the 65,000 who will turn out in the November election get to decide it. He said he is not surprised that the seven people, most of whom have stood for election successfully chose not to change the election system that made them successful. It takes courage to change a system that has made them successful politicians. He said they can accomplish more as Council than the General Assembly can accomplish in an entire session, so absolutely this is the most important and that is why they need more people participating. The fact that 12 percent of the people chose the highest vote getter is a crisis. Councilman Wilson said he is generally not a fan of referendums. He said they have a precedent in the City when it is a major electoral reform question, they put it before the voters and put it before as many voters as they can, and the most they will ever get is in a November Presidential election. He said Council knows how they do a list to reach out to voters - and how it happens is every three years they make a list of who they will reach out to, call and send mailers to, and that is the people who voted in the previous election, and that is about 12,000 people. He said if the citizens want to force them to reach out to the entire City, make the Council run on a November ballot, and they will then have to reach out to the entire City. He said every county in Virginia and half of the cities in Virginia have their elections in November, and they are surviving and thriving. Arlington County probably has more participatory democracy than they do in Alexandria, and they have staggered terms. Councilman Wilson said there was a question of whether there would be a drop off in the local office and they should look a statistics. In the 2005 election, they had a gubernatorial election with Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore and they had a very competitive Sheriff's election, and they only had a five percent drop off of people who voted in the gubernatorial election. Those who voted for Governor and those who voted for Sheriff. There is a concern of the need to raise more money if they run in a November election, but that is not based in fact, because as in Arlington County, of their five incumbents, the one who has raised the most money has still raised less than the six folks who were elected in May 2006 in Alexandria, so they actually have to raise less money and spend less money on their campaigns than they do in Alexandria. He said he thought going to the people in November to see if they want to see a change in the November election is the way to ask the most people.

Vice Mayor Pepper said she is sorry that Councilman Wilson has mentioned the task force selected as being hand-picked. She said the group was a very balanced group and she was pleased with it. If there was a hand-picked group, it was those two members who got together with the referendum idea and to challenge what the task force had brought before Council. She said in response to his reference to Arlington and their staggered terms, that is a perfect example of friends of each other helping each other, and because that has been used by so many people, she has talked to the Arlington candidates and they will say that they are concerned about not supporting who is already there for fear they will get elected. Vice Mayor Pepper said just because they may be the only jurisdiction that has elections every three years and does not have staggered terms doesn't make much difference. If they are doing it right, that is what works for them. She said she thought they are doing it right. If it did have elections in November, they would have to go to four years, and this puts an extra year of distance between themselves and the voters, and she would not favor the referendum as it stands. She said if it did have the referendum, it should be in May. She said the referendum doesn't get at what the issue is, and they ought to be concerned about the fact that the voters are not coming out on election day, but they are not the only jurisdiction with this problem. Vice Mayor Pepper said what they need to do is create a whole different culture, where people feel they should be out there and voting every single election and understanding that their vote does count. They have to reach people wherever they are and get them to understand what the issues are. They are a special group and there is no reason why they can't create the culture, and that is exactly what they need - it is not the referendum.

OTHER

13. Consideration of Referral to the Planning Commission for processing of a text amendment to Potomac Yard.

This item was deferred.

REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES (continued)

DEFERRAL/WITHDRAWAL CONSENT CALENDAR

Planning Commission (continued)

None.

END OF DEFERRAL/WITHDRAWAL CONSENT CALENDAR
* * * * * *

THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO BE CONSIDERED, upon motion by Councilman Krupicka, seconded by Vice Mayor Pepper and carried unanimously, the City Council public hearing meeting of April 12, 2008, was adjourned at 12:45 p.m. The voting was as follows:

Krupicka "aye" Gaines "aye"
Pepper "aye" Lovain "aye"
Euille "aye" Smedberg absent
Wilson "aye"

APPROVED BY:

_____________________________
WILLIAM D. EUILLE MAYOR
ATTEST:
________________________________
Jacqueline M. Henderson, CMC, City Clerk



This docket is subject to change.

* * * * *

Full-text copies of ordinances, resolutions, and agenda items are available in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of the Council.
* * * * *

Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the City Council meeting may call the City Clerk and Clerk of Council's Office at 838-4500 (TTY/TDD 838-5056). We request that you provide a 48-hour notice so that the proper arrangements may be made.

City Council meetings are closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
* * * * *