City Council - Regular Meeting

Go ahead and call this meeting to order. Roll call, please.

Council Harris. Here. Council Ellis. Vice Mayor Joyner. Here. Mayor Parton.

Here.

Councilor Day.

Yes. Sorry, here.

Councilor Wheat.

Here.

Councilor Rapoli. Here. You have a quorum.

Okay. Okay. Do we have a motion to make an amendment to the agenda for an R6 for a resolution for Colonel Bendaluski's retirement?

So moved. Second.

OK. Is there any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris? Yes. Mayor Parton? Yes. Councilor Ellis? Councilor Day? Yes. Councilor Wheat? Yes. Councilor Rapoli? Yes. Motion passes 6 to 0.

OK. At this time, is there a motion to go into closed meeting pursuant to Virginia Code section 2.2-3711 to discuss personnel matters, HR class, and compensation study 2.2-3711 to consult with legal counsel on actual or probable litigation. Hopewell Water Renewal Commission. and 2.2-3711A8 for the purpose of consultation with legal counsel, offer of gifted properties, and franchise agreement.

So moved. Second.

Motion has been made by Councilor Wheat and seconded by Vice Mayor Joyner. Is there any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris? Yes. Mayor Parton?

Yes.

Councilor Day? Yes. Councilor Wheat?

Yes.

Councilor Rapoli? Yes. Motion passes six to zero.

Okay.

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I have a motion to come out of closed meeting, please.

Second. All right.

Motion's been made by Councilor Day and seconded by Vice Mayor Joyner. Is there any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris? Yes. Mayor Parton?

Yes.

Councilor Day? Yes. Councilor Wheat? Yes. Councilor Rapoli? Yes. Motion passes 6-0.

All right. Certification, please.

Certification under Virginia Code 2.2-3712D were only public business matters, one, lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements, and two, identified in the closed meeting motion discussed in the closed meeting. Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris? Yes. Mayor Parton?

Yes.

Councilor Day? Yes. Councilor Wheat?

Yes.

Council Rapoli. Yes. Motion passes six to zero.

All right. Thank you. I want to welcome all our visitors for tonight's city council meeting. We will begin with our city manager's report.

sure I mean council good evening I do have two brief updates for you this evening before we move on to our updates that we have on the agenda for you and so I'd like to follow up with you on two items from your June 23rd meeting there were two items that came up for citizen comment the first was around the convenience center fees for dual axle trailers and we did look into that this was an update in fees that happened in 2017 and And the difference in fees is because the dual axle trailers have the ability to have more refuse or weight or yard waste, etc. So there was a difference in fees that was set up between a dual axle trailer and a single axle trailer. So that will remain in place unless we have some action or direction by council to change that.

Right.

And then the last item was I appreciate you all providing me with that direction, and I was able to work with the police department and the animal control unit, and we were able to support the Hopewell Humane Society in having them continue their feral cat treatment program. So that's important for our residents as well. So I wanted to let you know that that had happened. And with that, we'll move on to the items on the printed agenda. Okay. Chief Taylor?

Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of City Council. I'm here to present the July crime summary report. Crime summary for violent crime, and this for violent crime, we're down minus 37%. Property crime, at this time, we are down minus 2%. And total major crime, we're down minus 10%. This is the 2022 versus 2026. And we added this slide. That was the beginning of when we begin our technology increases. And so we were looking at 2022 as our benchmark and where we're at in 2026. And if you look at it, violent crime compared to 2022 and 2026 with minus 40% in violent crime. Property crimes compared to 2022 and 2026 will minus 30% reduction in property crimes and total major crime is down minus 32% if you compare those years. Suspected drug overdose, opiate overdoses, so forth, thus far in 2026, fatal we've had two, non-fatal we've had a total of seven, Grand total thus far in 2026 is 9. As you can see, 2026 is much lower compared to previous years. So grand total fatal is 40, non-fatal 217, and grand total 257, looking at from 2021 through 2026. Narcotic incidents and arrests. For 2026, we have total narcotic incidents with arrests, and that's 25 arrests, felony arrests, two misdemeanor arrests. So far in 2027, it's a total of 27. If you look at the three year average, total arrests is 58, and total misdemeanors is seven, a total of 59. If you go to total persons arrested for narcotics offenses, so four in 2026, total persons arrested has been 25 on felony charges, two on misdemeanor for a total of 27. And if you look at the three year average, it was 51 and also for misdemeanors is seven, 51 felonies and seven misdemeanors for total persons arrested. And the total average arrested for narcotics is 53 if you look at the three-year average. And 2025, we're a bit lower than the previous years due to a lot of variations. Verified shots fired. 2024, we had a total of 64. Yearly total 54 less, so 10 less than 2024. Thus far, in 2026, we have a total of 12 verified shots fired. Neighborhood Watch meetings, the only notable change is in Ward 4 and Ward 5. And they are combined now, and they meet the first Monday of each month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church. And Ms. Shari Fuller, she's a neighborhood watch captain. So that's the only change in the neighborhood watch meeting. Hiring and recruitment. Currently, we only have one dispatch opening, and we have two applicants that are in the background. And five police positions are open. One applicant is currently in background, and our next testing date is July the 18th. And currently, we do have three in the academy. They started July the 1st, so they won't graduate until December the 18th of 2026. And once they graduate, come out and get their FTO training, so they won't be ready. People are paying for the road until spring of 2027. Community policing officers by wars, nothing has changed on that slide. Everything remains the same. Community engagement, upcoming events on July the 18th. Hopewell Schools having a back school event. The times are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Also, July the 18th, Hopewell Parks and Recreation having a community appreciation event. The location is Mathis Fields, and the time is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. In July the 18th as well, the James House is having Appreciation Day. The location is in Prince George, at Prince George Commons, located at 6610 Commons Drive. And the times are from 1 to 4. And lastly, on July the 21st, the Summer Camp Heroes Day. That's sponsored by Parks and Recreation. And that will be at Mathis Park. And that's the police, uh, our day at, at Mathis field. And we'll have rep West rock there. And the times are from 8 AM to 4 PM. And the police officer will have our fleet in this on display. And we are, we'll be participating in various activities, including kickball that day. The, uh, Strategic Enforcement Team, the SET, this is our summer month's focus, and we are continuing for the months of June, July, and August. The focus is on curfew violations. As you already know, we also sent a press release out to the community to remind parents in all communities about the curfew violations and the times on that. We focus on citizens' contacts, loud music, hot spots, HR, HA properties, As discussed by the HRAG properties, officers have done an excellent job in doing outdoor road calls, specifically in Davisby and Piper Square. They're getting out their cars. They're having outdoor road calls consistently since July. Focusing on crime and disorder, they also assisted and patrolled on priority calls for service and firearms and narcotics violations and also serving warrants. And the other thing that I added to this for the month of June, July, and August is I had given some reports of some activity in our downtown area. And I have directed staff to start some overtime activity on certain days of the week and afternoons, late afternoons and evening to focus on the downtown areas and the complaints that we're receiving in those areas. That concludes my presentation, and I'm here to answer any questions.

Are there any questions for Chief Taylor?

I have a question for the Chief. Is there a way going forward that you could provide, as part of your report to us, curfew violations each time you come to Florida? Yes, sir. Just the number. Okay. Thank you.

And what are your thoughts chief about, you know, especially after, you know, the police doing a really good job of diffusing the situations this weekend? What are your thoughts about reducing the the curfew down to either 1030 or 10 o'clock like some other localities started doing?

That's a discussion that we can have, and we'll look at how other jurisdictions have done that and results of that, and we'll discuss it and see what we can do about it.

I think it's something that we probably need to consider. potentially take action on. But I'd like to see what other localities are doing outside of just here in our region. Vice Mayor Joyner.

I just wanted to make a comment. I just wanted to thank you for your focus on downtown. We do have some trouble spots that I know you're aware of. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Okay. All right. Thank you, Chief. Ms. Jordan.

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, members of council. These are preliminary year end figures for fiscal year 26. Citywide budget to actuals preliminary year end revenues are trending 6.05% or 9.4 million higher for 26 versus 25. Expenses preliminary year end are trending 14.8 or 10.4 million lower for 26 versus 25. An increase in our revenues stem from our state revenues, increase in HWR capital billing, and collections from . Increases in expenses, of course, stem from our annual increase in Class of Com Study implementation, as well as increases in school and enterprise capital expenses. For fiscal year 26, revenues over expenses citywide, preliminary figure is coming in at $8.4 million. This does not include any AP or payroll accruals or any additional transfers needed to close out the fiscal year.

Any questions on our citywide?

For our general fund, preliminary year end is trending 1.68 or 4.1 million higher in revenues for 26 versus 25. Expenses for 26 are trending 3.18% or 354,000 lower than 25. Increase in expenses stem again for general fund from our annual increase as well as class and comp study implementation. general fund year and revenues over expenses. Preliminary is $5.4 million. Again, this does not include any AP or payroll accruals or any additional transfers. Our enterprise fund, which includes our HWR, sewer, solid waste, as well as stormwater. Enterprise fund preliminary year end is trending 26.9 or 12.8 million higher in revenues for 26 versus 25. Expenses for 26 are trending 5.65 or 3.9 million lower in expenses. Increase in our revenues stem from on-time billing and capital billing for fiscal year 26. Increasing expenses stem from working through capital projects as well as a DEQ NOV. Enterprise preliminary revenues over expenses is $4.9 million. Again, this does not include any AP or payroll accruals or any additional transfers to close out the fiscal year. And for our schools, preliminary year end, again, for schools, we just really account for state and federal revenues as well as the monies that we allocate to the schools. This does not include any of the grants or additional supplementals that they receive throughout the fiscal year. Schools is trending 23.55 or 1.4 million higher in revenues for 26 versus 25. Expenses are trending 15.35 or 7.5 million higher in 26 versus 25. A lot of the increase for the school's revenue comes from the ESSER grant that they no longer receive, which is part of the, not the COVID funds, pretty much the COVID funds that they got from the federal government.

The ESSER grant is no longer valid.

Preliminary revenues over expenses for schools is 14K. Increase in operating expenses overall for the school system for fiscal year 26. Okay, for accounts payable, fourth quarter, entire fourth quarter we paid 5,036 invoices for a total of 21,572,324. This include all debt as well. And we are year to date in all of our debt payments for fiscal year 26. We begin our biweekly meetings for the closeout of fiscal year 2027 ACFR with schools as well as the city and RFC. The plan is to have everything submitted from the city to RFC by August 31st. The schools will have everything submitted by September 15th, no later than September 30th, as they have a school state report that is required to be due and it's not submitted. You cannot submit it before September 15th. Once that is submitted, we will continue on with the process and the plan is to have the ACFR for 26. on time before December 15th. Okay. Next will be Jason and see our treasurer's report. Oh, any questions? I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, rest of council. Um, I'm just going off the screen over here cause I thought it'd be here, but that's okay. Um, I was here back in March doing a summer report on collections for personal property, real estate and business licenses. Um, this was the numbers we were at. These are the years trending when I did the report, uh, back in March, just numbers to kind of pay attention to as we move forward. Um, the side-by-side comparison for 2024. So back in March, um, we were on the 94 ish percent range. Um, bear with me. I'll pull it up on my phone. Yeah, 94.48 back in March. And then as of July 1st this year, we were at 95.65. So a tick in the right direction. Definitely not where I want to be yet, but we're making progress. And that was for real estate. The next one you'll see is... I'm sorry, that was... Yeah, that was personal property. Now onto real estate. Back in March, we were at 98.5. A little bit of a tick in the right direction. Now we're at 98.74%. Business licenses, I know it's a lot smaller of a screen. 99.77. Now we were, as of July 1st, and this is all for 2024, we're at 99.99. Missing $843 is the in receivable. Moving on to 2025, back in March, personal property was at 89%. I told you guys last time I would get that up. We did. We're now at 92%, and I checked it today. We're actually another quarter of a percent higher than that as of today. So we're definitely ticking in the right way. Business license, we're working on. It was a little bit lower than I wanted it to be at this point, at 95%, almost 96%. Back in March, now we are up to 98.31% on business licenses. And then real estate, 96.45% back in March. For 25, now we're at 97.76% collection rate. And then I went ahead and threw in 2026, first half, we're at 50.81, which is ahead of the game. 50% is what we were collecting, so people have already paid ahead, so we're looking pretty good for 2026. Moving on to our investment accounts, our LGIP market value as of June 30th was sitting just over $9 million. Schwab estimated value of May 31st, almost $6.2 million. And then our sewer system market value as of March 31st is $1.7 million. And then our bank accounts, as of July 1st, Almost $19.5 million sitting in the master account, special welfare at $123,000. The prepaid cafeteria for the school board at $300,000. Beacon Theater is $1,1599. And then our EMS revenue recovery was at $10,051. And that is all I have for collections at the end of the fiscal year. Any questions?

No questions, but great job. First six months, I think you've done a darn good job.

Thank you much. I'm going to keep working. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so I appreciate it. Thank you, guys.

Okay.

We don't have any actions resulting from closed sessions, so we will move right into the regular business of the meeting. We have our prayer by Reverend Boggs, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by myself. Please rise.

Council and friends of the city, would you join me as we pray? So, Holy Father, we come into your presence, mindful on this occasion that you are the giver of all good and perfect gifts, the author of life itself. And so we pause to give you thanks. Thank you for the gifts of grace, love, mercy, and kindness, the goodness that you've shown to us. And particularly on this occasion, Lord, we pray, lift our voices to you, to ask for patience. to ask for wisdom that comes from your holy hand, that we can make decisions that bring dignity and that bring grace to those whom we serve and to make decisions that bring honor to you. So we pray that you would hear the cries of our hearts this day in the name of Christ. Amen.

Do I have a motion to adopt the consent agenda?

So moved. All right.

The motion has been made by Vice Mayor Joyner and seconded by Councillor Day. Is there any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councillor Harris?

Yes.

Mayor Parton?

Yes.

Councillor Day? Yes. Councillor Wheat?

Yes.

Council Rapola. Yes. Motion passes six to zero.

Okay. Uh, at this time we're going to ask, um, Ms. Martinez to come up and do a special recognition.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of council. Tonight, I come before you requesting a proclamation, which you have so graciously approved in your consent agenda. I don't do this for myself. I do this for recognition of my staff. My staff are our front line people. We have several in our attendance today. So forgive me if I get emotional. They are the reason why we are so successful is because of their hard work each and every day. So you all approving this proclamation for us is so much gratitude for them. So I don't like to be in the forefront of things. I like to work behind the scenes, but it's my staff that really truly deserves recognition. So I'd just like to take a moment and just have them stand for us, if you don't mind.

Thank you.

I'm just going to read this real quick for them. So this proclamation, whereas the city of Hopewell recognizes park and recreation are vital to the health, well-being, and quality of life of its residents, helping to build a vibrant, connected, and resilient community, whereas Hopewell parks, trails, playgrounds, athletic facilities, and recreation programs promote physical and mental wellness, support youth development, encourage lifelong learning, strengthening families, and providing safe, accessible opportunities for recreation and connection with nature. whereas park and recreation contribute to the city's economic vitality by attracting visitors, supporting local businesses, enhancing property values, and improving the overall livability of the community. Whereas Hopewell's parks and natural area protects environmental resources, enhances resilience to flooding and severe weather, and preserve green spaces for future generations. Whereas the City Council of Hopewell, Virginia recognizes and appreciates the dedication of the city parks, recreation professionals, and volunteers whose service ensures that, excuse me, Public spaces remain safe, welcoming, inclusive, and enriching for residents of all ages. And whereas the U.S. House of Representatives has been designated July as Park and Recreation Month in recognition of the essential role parks and recreation play in communities across the nation, Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the City of Hopewell, Virginia hereby proclaims the month of July as 2026 as Park and Recreation Month in the City of Hopewell, be it further proclaimed that the City Council of Hopewell, Virginia proclaims that July 17th, which is this Friday, as Parks and Recreation Professionals Day in City of Hope while honoring the dedication professional and volunteers for those commitment enriching the lives of residents and strengthening the community of every day and We are looking very forward to celebrating them on Friday For a small appreciation luncheon with them and we hope to see a few of you there I think a couple of RSVP and again, this is So appreciated. They get all the kudos. They get all the greatness. They get all the compliments. That all goes to them. If anything's messed up, it's probably my fault because I changed something going on. But they are phenomenal, and I couldn't do this job without them. And I really appreciate you doing this. Thank you.

Well, thank you. And I know that I can speak on behalf of city council when we say that we're very appreciative of all that you guys do, and especially a lot of the creative programming that you guys do and You know, funding is tight, you know, that we work through, but you guys do a lot of great work. And I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my man, Daniel, who still does great river cleanups on his own time. And so I just really do appreciate you guys and all that you guys do. So thank you.

Thank you.

All right, next, I believe Ms. Joyner would like to do a recognition.

Kelly Davis, who is over at the Architectural Review Board as our liaison, she is here to accept this award. But this is a proclamation recognizing Mary French Belder for distinguished service.

And let me read this proclamation

has devoted more than 25 years of outstanding volunteer service to the city of Hopewell through her dedicated service on the Architectural Reborn and Downtown Design Review Committee, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to historic preservation, thoughtful design, and a better community. Ms. Elder was instrumental in the development of the City Point Historic District Design Guidelines, creating a lasting resource that continues to guide preservation efforts and protect the historic character of one of Hopewell's most treasured neighborhoods. Whereas throughout her years of service, Ms. Elder has been a steadfast advocate of the preservation and revitalization of downtown Hopewell, helping shape policies and projects that celebrate the city's history while encouraging investment, decon, and vitality. And whereas after more than 45 years of exemplary public service, Ms. Elder has retired, leaving a lasting legacy of leadership, dedication, and stewardship that has enriched the City of Hopewell and inspired those who have had the privilege of serving alongside her. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the City Council of Hopewell, Virginia, hereby expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to Mary French Elder for her distinguished service to the City of Hopewell and recognizes her invaluable contributions to historic preservation of the City Point Historic District and revitalization of downtown Hopewell. He had further proclaimed that council congratulates Mary Quinn Childer on her retirement from public service and extends its heartfelt thanks and best wishes for continued health, happiness, and fulfillment with appreciation for the lasting impact her service will have on the city of Hopewell for generations to come. It's been adopted this 14th day of July, 2026, by the City Council of Hopewell, Virginia, and signed by John Harden, Mayor of the City of Hopewell. And Kelly, you're here to receive it. And may I just add that I had the honor and privilege of working with Mary French-Yeldon for many of those 25 years, and I think those of us in this audience, the Architectural View Board does an important service. The Architectural View Board helps to preserve the material culture of the city of Hopewell, and the architectural reports all over the country do that, whether it's in Charleston, South Carolina, where they're preserving 18th century structures, or whether here we are in Hopewell, Virginia, preserving the DuPont villages, whether it's A Village, B Village, or some of our early buildings, such as Appomattox Manor, those structures that are on Princeton Avenue. So she has contributed greatly. She has a fine arts background, was just tremendous in being an arbiter of good taste and interpreting the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines. So it was an honor and privilege to serve with her. It's an honor and privilege to give this to you, Kelly, on her behalf.

OK. Thank you.

Thank you. OK. All right, we're going to move on to communications from citizens. Madam Clerk, will you please read the statement?

Communication from citizens, period, limited to a total of 30 minutes, occurs at each regular council meeting. Persons addressing council approach the microphone, give their name, and the neighbor's adding help. Okay. First one that I have signed up for tonight is Jeffrey Torres.

Great evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the council. I'm Jeffrey Maurice Torres from the Mighty Third Ward. Firstly, I'd like to suggest a homestead exemption to the city real estate tax for all senior citizens. This will reward their achievement and encourage the next generation to thrive and hope well. Secondly, all city offices should be reachable by text message. to improve the quality and documentation of communication with citizens. Voicemail and email allow for too much delay and confusion. Finally, since vapes constitute the primary form of contraband in high school, middle school, and elementary school, I believe we can and we should reduce childhood access by banning the sale of vapes in our city. The current permissive situation makes obtaining a vape easier for a child today than cigarettes were from unattending vending machines for many of us in the 1980s. Vapes are introducing our children to addiction, contraband smuggling, and disrupting the proper functioning of our schools. After speaking with educators and SROs, I found out their low metallic content makes them nearly immune to efforts to find them by common metal detectors. Please consider this homestead exemptions to senior citizens to promote home ownership, the office text messaging, and the banning of sale of vapes in Hopewell to demonstrate our commitment to the youth. And lastly, the primary issue with vapes is how ambiguous they are. If I were to see an eight-year-old enjoying a vape right now, puffing on it, there would be no way to tell if it was THC, CBD, Delta 3, 6, 9, nicotine, caffeine, Ovaltine, Febreze, or Listerine. And that seems ridiculous to me. In a community where we can commonly see open addiction on the street, this largely symbolic gesture will send a solid message that we care about the future of our youth. Thank you very much and have a great one. Thank you.

Next is Kevin Randizzi.

Appreciate it. Good evening mayors, mayor, vice mayor, Members of the City Council, thank you for pronouncing my name properly. My name is Kevin Randizzi and I'm a commercial property owner here in the city of Hopewell in Ward 2. And tonight I want to speak about the B1 zoning district and ask a simple question. Are we making it easier or harder for property owners to invest in downtown Hopewell? Many of the properties in downtown Hopewell are in serious disrepair and need work. And we need people willing to invest in these properties and bring business to downtown Hopewell. But when I read the B1 zoning ordinance, I see regulations that go way beyond what I believe is reasonably necessary. Some of these examples include under transparency, it says, blinds and or draperies are acceptable but shall be open during regular business hours. Does that mean an attorney, counselor, or other professional closing their blinds for a confidential meeting during business hours is technically violating the business ordinance or violating the zoning ordinance? Sign and canopy regulations are very complex and restrictive. They're very detail-oriented. The ordinance even dictates the style of string lighting businesses can use, globe-style light bulbs only. And then many decisions are subject to the discretion and approval of the architectural review board. Are these regulations protecting downtown Hopewell or creating unnecessary barriers to investment? I would offer a couple of solutions. Distinguish between historic and non-historic properties. Consider a downtown historic business district and a downtown business district. Properties with genuine historic significance deserve appropriate preservation standards while properties that are non-historic or non-contributing buildings should have greater flexibility to use modern materials and make reasonable improvements. Second, we need fewer barriers to responsible redevelopment, and we don't need the architectural review board to have broad authority over it. all exterior improvements. I say let's protect a history that deserves protection while making it easier for responsible property owners to invest in downtown Hopewell. Our ordinances should encourage investment and business growth, not make people question whether investing here or opening a business here is worth the trouble. And I thank you for my time.

Thank you. Thank you. Next is Debbie Randolph.

Good evening. Debbie Randolph, Ward 1. Been a lot of hope well in the news, and certainly sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's not. However, I'm going to talk about some issues that aren't in the news right now. I've got two issues that I want to address with council. The first one is from the $15 million bond in fall of last year that you all did for the infrastructure upgrades. At the time that they were done, you all listed very nicely what would be included in these projects and what part would have in a large range potential for each of those projects. Well, my concern is that we haven't seen or heard any updates on any of that. It would be nice for the citizens to know where their $15 million bond is going and whether it's meeting that range as expected and whether or not we're going to have enough in that particular bond to do all of the projects that were on that list. So I encourage you to help citizens to follow the money and to give them a chance to know what's going on with these projects. We have a second bond that was done this year for the schools, and certainly I would ask that you all do the same with that spending as well, even though that bond hasn't reached their $15 million potential. The second issue I have is for the $391,000 that Council so graciously volunteered to HRHA for an operational audit. It's not the audit per se, although I think that's a bit hefty of a price. My concern is that Council has solicited for one firm to be doing that audit. While it's not required that this require an RFP to go out, it would be nice to know why a single firm is being pushed to do two different HRA boards and why we can't do an RFP to potentially look at the cost of that $391,000 operational audit and to see if we can come in a little bit lower. I appreciate you looking at my concerns. Thank you.

Thank you. Next is Colonel Pratt.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council, City Manager. Previous comments have alluded to the fact that Hopewell has been in the news, and specifically regarding a data center. I've taken the time to read some of the articles out there. from what I was able to gather. A study was done, but then maybe it wasn't done, or maybe it wasn't done in Hopewell, or maybe the company changed their website, or maybe they didn't. There's a lot of confusion around that. But I have to agree with my neighbor, Torres, in the fact that we need to have a faster communication system It's very discouraging to read in those articles that journalists reached out to the city and there was no comment. And then when the story starts to blow up, then there's a comment. There needs to be a way for citizens to reach the city faster and for there to be a response that's not looking like a reaction when public sentiment seems to be sour on any particular idea. I think that at the very least, it could be good to do a feasibility study and look at, okay, what would it cost to set up a system like that? How long would it take? What personnel would need to be hired? that by itself could be a good step to show the community that you really are interested in being as responsive as possible and not reacting to stories when they seem to paint the city in a bad light. Thank you.

Thank you. Next is Ed Hauser.

Ed Hauser, Ward 5. My concern is this data center that we're hearing all about coming to Hopewell. That will be the nail in the coffin for this city. We're already a less than desirable place to draw people into, whether it be residential, whether it be businesses, and so forth. Prices keep going up, taxes on stuff around here go up. We're not seeing nothing positive come from it. And it continues to go on. You bring a data center in here, mile, two mile radius to this place, are these properties value or reflect the drop in their value for this data center being here? Y'all will raise property taxes again. We're gonna be paying more on property than our property could be sold for if a data center comes in here. You'll be shipping a bunch of water to a wastewater plant that's covered in band-aids as it is. It's gonna be a disaster. I've been read several things on these data centers, and none of it's good. Virginia already has too many data centers, more data centers than the rest of the United States does. It's ridiculous. Look down the road, or y'all will still be here to feel the fallout of a decision y'all made letting a data center come here when it gets here? I doubt it very seriously. You know, we sit here, get a response from y'all, kind of saying y'all didn't have nothing to do with it. You know, how many of y'all up there can actually be trusted? How many times have we heard one thing and something totally else happened? You know, none of y'all can be trusted for anything that comes out of y'all's mouth. So anything that comes from y'all comes with a grain of salt and a response.

OK. Next is Mark Burrows.

MARK BURROWS III. First things first. Due to the information from the city manager, I formally stand before y'all to formally request that council take action to make tandem axle trailers the same cost for residents when the trailers are registered to an individual and not to a business when utilizing the city dump. I already paid taxes on the city to own my trailer here. I shouldn't have to pay more to use something that's free to every other resident, regardless of the fact that it weighs a little bit more. Last meeting, the minutes made mention of a City Council rule change that was done in closed session. However, there's no new rules posted online for the City Council, so I'm a little curious what new rule was changed, implemented, or considered and shot down. Um, the city attorney, if I could talk, that'd be great. The city attorney told me about a website that was being created that would have all public documents available for citizen review. Um, but I've not heard anything or any more mention of that since he told me about that. Um, so I'm wondering what the status of that is or if it was a non-starter. Um, Ms. Randolph had mentioned being able to follow the money. I argue that we should be able to follow anything our city is doing and or planning. And we shouldn't be learning about these things through the news or Facebook post. We should be having transparency through meetings, open meetings or town hall type meetings. We shouldn't be asking for complete transparency from y'all. Instead, we should be growing tired of it due to y'all's openness. That being said, I saw online a school district actually put solar panels on the roofs of their schools, and I know that that would be costly. However, they were able to save over $6 million between savings and tax breaks, and it also kept the school cooler due to sun shielding, and it may be something that we would want to look at here for Hopewell as a cost reduction process. So, thank you. Thank you.

The last one I have signed up for time, I believe it's Jennifer Schaffin.

Schaffer.

Schaffer.

Kind of caught me off guard because I thought I did away with that. However, my name is Jennifer Schaffer, mayor, vice mayor, city council. My first time ever doing anything like this, and I'm a little shaken, but I'm also a little gutsy. I moved to Hopewell 41 years ago, the 21st of this month. I fell in love with it because it reminded me of my hometown back in southwest Virginia, Wise County, a little place called Norton. But for the last 15 years, Hopewell has disheartened me, and I have become very mixed feelings about it. I'm a member of the VFW, the American Legion. I do a lot of volunteering work. I built my first house 20 years ago in Hopewell. For the last two years, I thank you very much. You helped raise my house payment, $500. I'm 68 years old and I'm on disability. I have asked what kind of breaks I can get on taxes and they've told me I've got the limit, $850. Well, again, thanks to you all, whoever raised them, my $1,700, $1,300 goes to my house payment. So if you all can do anything on the elderly and the disabled to help them keep their houses in Hopewell, it would be much greatly appreciated. Because as some of these people have said, I got two children here, but they're old guys. I have one granddaughter. A lot of you all may have grandchildren coming up. And I think you all are putting a little bit of sour taste in our mouth to teach our children and grandchildren don't like Hopewell. Hopewell just slaps you in the face. They take you for what you can get to them or give to them, but they don't want to help give it back to you. So if 41 years come next Tuesday, July the 21st, I thank you all or whoever is responsible for putting me at the point to where do I sell my house and leave Hopewell and go back to Southwest Virginia? Or do I stay here and try to fight and continue working? Been on disability with heart failure at 68 years old to try to stay here to a place that I really like where I'm living. So I thank you for listening. And I do hope that some of you will at least think about the elderly and the disabled.

Thank you. Moving on to regular business, we have our first public hearing for tonight. Mr. Bassett.

So this actually came out of a request that we got from a gentleman who was considering opening up such a business here. There's a request from a counselor. I took a look at our ordinance on tattoo parlors and piercing salons. And the long story short is that it was rather out of date, archaic. pretty short on discussion of health and safety, long on things like If you weren't aware, our current ordinance forbids the tattooing of religious symbols, for example. So in any case, the point is it seems to me to be in need of a modernization. So I looked at similar ordinances from various cities in Virginia and pieced together something that is going to be fit to purpose is going to be suitable to Hopewell, and I brought it to the attention of the Department of Health, got the Department of Health's input on it, and the draft that you see in front of you is jointly recommended by my office and the Department of Health. Happy to take any questions.

Seeing no lights for questions, we'll go ahead and open up the public hearing. We don't have anybody signed up for this public hearing tonight, so we'll go ahead and close it. Do we have a motion to approve the ordinance repealing and reenacting the Hopewell City Code Chapter 9 Barbershops, Beauty Parlors, Tattoo Parlors, Sections 9-41 through, or excuse me, 9-41 through 9-61 as presented tonight.

We have to wait on this, don't we?

Council can always entertain a motion for an ordinance early. It's a five vote rather than four vote. But our general practice is to move it to consent agenda on the next meeting, but there's no prohibition on it.

OK. OK.

So seeing no lights for discussion, roll call.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

i thought i heard was it council wheat did you no i didn't second it okay i'll make the motion then you'll second yeah i'll second it and you can make the motion yeah okay go ahead mr beset i believe now we have uh yes this this is sort of a housekeeping amendment to the ordinances um In our ordinances right now as written, it gives the authority and the duty to inspect work to the roadways. For example, when utilities and others tear up the roadway to work on utility lines. Um, right now that authority and duty lies with the director of development, but in practice it is, and it really should be, uh, the, the stormwater and engineering deputy director of public works. So this is, this is a housekeeping amendment that gives that duty and authority to the stormwater and, um, the stormwater and engineering deputy director and public works.

Okay. Are there any questions for Ms. Bissette? Seeing no lights. All right. Go ahead and open up the public hearing. We do not have anyone signed up for tonight, so we'll go ahead and close it. All right. What's the will of counsel? You guys want to do a consent agenda for next meeting or just go ahead and approve it tonight? Just approve it. Okay. All right, is there a motion to approve the ordinance amending Hopewell City Code Chapter 33, Streets and Sidewalks, Sections 33-6 through 33-62 as presented tonight? So moved. All right, motion has been made by Vice Mayor Joyner and seconded by Councilor Denny. Oh, man, my hearing is really off tonight. All right, Councilor Rapoli has done the second. Seeing no lights for discussion, roll call, please.

yes yes yes okay mr. Ward

good evening mayor vice mayor members of council tonight we have a modification to development standards request this is the first reading in a public hearing it relates to 3302 slash 3308 oaklawn boulevard parcel 0891462 the applicant is the well of hope church of the nazarene property that we are discussing this evening is owned by mr. Riley Ingram and located in Ward 7 zoned before corridor development our ordinance restricts individual parcels to one single freestanding sign so on the east side of this new building is Ingram and Associates real estate company And on the west side of this building, the church has now moved into that space. So they are a second occupant of this building. Just some background, they installed a post and panel sign for the church without a permit, and that's how we are here tonight, this evening, because only one freestanding sign is permitted per parcel. So you can see the map on the left, general location, and then on the right is an aerial view of this building. Section, or excuse me, Article 18, Section F of our development standards states only one freestanding sign per parcel except on non-through lots. A sign must be located on the same parcel as the organization utilizing a sign. Post and panel signs do not meet the ordinance's specifications for a freestanding sign. And a sign permit is required for all signs with just a few exceptions related to size and intent. For modifications to development standards, Council should consider not granting one if the following instances present a problem for that. Number one is the granting of the modification will constitute the granting of a variant, special exception, conditional use, or rezoning. In staff's opinion, it does not. The ordinary financial considerations are the principal reason for the requested modification. The applicant's position is not based off financial considerations. The modification amends a property-specific condition imposed by council or the BZA unless such conditions specifically grant such modification authority to the council. It does not. And lastly, the applicant created the condition or situation generating the need for the modification, and the applicant has not exhausted all other practicable solutions to the problem including but not limited to the acquisition of additional property, the elimination or redesign of structures, or the reduction of the development density. In this case, the options to the applicant would be to either have a building mounted sign or to add their church name to the existing freestanding sign. But the problem, and I'll go back to the map, On the right, the problem with adding their name to the existing freestanding sign is that with Oaklawn Boulevard being one way, you had already passed the entrance onto the property where the church is located before you even get to the sign because the sign is located at the corner. That's over at Blackstone and Oaklawn. So they did not think that was an ideal location because you would have already passed the church by the time you see the sign for it. Secondly, the property owner is not allowing any building mounted signs at this property. So moving on, based off those considerations, staff does recommend the approval of the modification to develop the standards request to install a second freestanding sign on parcel 0891462. with the following conditions, that the freestanding sign will comply with the sign standard set forth in Article 18, Section F, and that the sign will be placed on parcel 0891462 in a location that does not create a visual obstruction to vehicular traffic. Planning Commission, I left that slide out, but the Planning Commission did vote to recommend approval of this request at their public hearing held last month. I'm available for any questions if you have any.

Okay. Are there any questions for Mr. Ward? Okay. Seeing none, go ahead and open up the public hearing. We do not have anyone signed up tonight for the public hearing, so go ahead and close it. All right. At this time, is there a motion to approve the modification of development standards request from the Well of Hope Church of the Nazarene to install a second freestanding sign on parcel number 0891462 as presented tonight?

So moved.

All right. Motion has been made by Councilor Rapoli and seconded by Vice Mayor Joyner. Seeing no lights for discussion, roll call, please.

yes yes yes thank you okay miss Martinez good evening mr. mayor vice mayor members of council tonight Oh screens are off

Okay, tonight I just come before you to do a quick presentation of an updated MOA for what was formerly known as Nova South. The only difference in this MOA and the previous MOA is that we've changed the name because they have legally changed their business name from Nova South to Legacy Swim Club. So I'm just bringing this to your attention just as an update. As written in the MOA, the city manager will be able to sign the new updated version, but I just want to make sure I kept you all in the loop based off of our previous presentations in regards to this particular MOA. Okay. Is there any questions in regards to that?

You don't need a motion or anything from us?

No, sir. Just informational. Thank you.

All right. Ms. Jordan.

Good evening again, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of council. This is a resolution to allow the school systems to use their surplus funds to fund an operational efficiency assessment for the school system.

Is there a motion to approve the resolution as amended for the operational efficiency review for the Hopewell Public School System?

I'll second that.

All right, motion has been made by Councilor Day and seconded by Vice Mayor Joyner. Is there any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris?

Yes.

Mayor Parton?

Yes.

Councilor Day? Yes. Councilor Rapobi? Yes.

Motion passes 5-0. Thank you.

Okay. And the last item is an R6 for a retirement proclamation for Colonel Bendaluski's as the garrison commander at Fort Lee. Do we have a motion to have the city clerk prepare a proclamation for Colonel Bendaluski's retirement? So moved. All right. Motion's been made by Councilor Wheaton, seconded by Vice Mayor Joyner. Any discussion? Seeing no lights, roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Joyner? Yes. Councilor Harris?

Yes. Mayor Parton? Yes.

Councilor Day? Yes. Yes.

All right.

Meeting is adjourned. Thank you.