City Council - Regular Meeting

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This is the Daily. I'm Rachel Abrams. Back to my conversation with Christina Goldbomb about Israel's assault on Lebanon, what it hopes to achieve, and what the Lebanese people fear may come next. So, Christina, you explained that Israel would face all of these challenges in its quest to take out Hezbollah. But this time, Israeli officials seem to think that they might have more of a chance. Can you just explain why they think that?

So, I think first off, you have to keep in mind that yes, Hezbollah is an Iranbacked militant group, but it's also a very strong political and social movement that is embedded in Lebanese society here, especially among the Shia community, which is about a third of the country. And for decades, it has essentially had the Lebanese government in a chokeold where no political decisions could be made without its support. So it is the most powerful political party in the country. It holds seats in Lebanon's parliament and it also runs this vast network of social services that its supporters benefit from like schools and hospitals and it employs tens of thousands of people within that network. So it does hold this immense sway in Lebanese society. A lot of people have described it as being like a state within a state.

I visited Beirut a few years ago and one thing that really stood out to me was all of the Hezbollah flags, Hezbollah shirts, Hezbollah merchandise that you could purchase, particularly in the south of Lebanon where Hezbollah obviously has a huge presence. That's right. But now we're also beginning to see that loyal base of support tested like it hasn't been before and more tired than it's been before. A lot of people who have been displaced, the vast majority are people who are in areas that are more sympathetic [music] to Hezbollah. So it means that a lot of Hezbollah supporters are the ones that have been shouldering the burdens of these wars over the last 2 years. [music]

The one thing that they keep telling me is how exhausted they are. How after the last war in 2023, [music] 2024, and then this one, they're tired of evacuating from their homes. They're tired of living in shelters. They're tired of their towns and villages, especially in the South, being flattened by air strikes. They're tired of rebuilding homes only to now worry that they're going to get demolished again. So, I think we're starting to see this very new feeling right now. For ages, there's been this kind of fervent ideological zeal within Hezbollah's support base to resist Israel at any cost. But right now, we're starting to see that commitment give way to this kind of weariness of war. [music] And also just some people that are questioning why Hezbollah chose to become involved in this war.

Why they chose to [music] fire on Israel only after the killing of a foreign leader and not over the last year when Lebanese have been killed in Israeli air strikes in one of the shelters that we went to. Can you tell us her name and age? I actually ran into a nurse who I had met during the last war in 2024 in a hospital in the southern city of Neatia from Natia. And when did you leave?

And at that time she was dealing with this influx of people who were injured in Israeli strikes. And now with this war she's been displaced from Nabatia to Beirut. And my colleagues and I sat with her and her family and we were talking about this very question. What are the costs of these wars? Are these wars worth it? And they were debating among themselves whether Hezbollah remains their main defender.

On the other hand, they're also wondering if actually because Hezbollah has now dragged the country into war twice in two years, whether that is still the case, whether they are still able to defend the Shia community, and whether the cost the Shia community is bearing is worth it. If the Lebanese government is so dysfunctional, what is their capacity to help their own people and what is their relationship to Hezbollah? What do they want from Hezbollah in this moment?

So, this has been the main topic of political conversation in Lebanon over the last year because in that time, the country has kind of reached this political tipping point. After the ceasefire in 2024, there was this kind of sea change here where the Lebanese government agreed for the first time ever to begin a process of disarming Hezbollah. Now, of [clears throat] course, over the past year, we've seen the many, many challenges that come with trying to do so. The Lebanese military is weak. You know, it soldiers are underpaid. It is not terribly well equipped. So, in many ways, it is outmatched by

Hezbollah. [clears throat] And at the same time, there is this fear that if the government moves too quickly and too decisively, it could lead to a clash between Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah fighters. And that here is a recipe for civil war. I wonder what the point of all of this is then if this is Israel kind of doing what it's always done with Hezbollah, which is basically periodically crippling them, but not actually totally destroying them.

I mean, that's the rhetoric we've heard, right? is this idea that Israel wants to completely eliminate the threat from Hezbollah. But I think what a lot of people here see is this major buildup of Israeli military forces along the border on the Israeli side of the border. And that has made people here in Lebanon extremely concerned about the possibility of a massive Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon

and possible occupation of a large swath of southern Lebanon essentially creating a new much larger buffer zone with Israel. Now, that of course has brought up a lot of concerns within Lebanon of mass displacement because we've already seen more than a million people displaced from their homes from this conflict. And also, this possibility that Israel would reoccupy southern Lebanon just feels like this repeat of history here. And I can imagine for Israel though, the creation of that buffer zone in southern Lebanon, buffer zone maybe aka occupied territory would be a win politically for Netanyahu, right? And how should we think about the United States role here? Obviously, they're heavily involved in the conflict with Iran, but what is their stance on Israel's action in Lebanon? So typically the US has tried to temper Israel's efforts to take out Hezbollah because of these fears of it spiraling into a larger war and destabilizing the region. But the US has essentially allowed Israel to carry out this bombardment of Lebanon. And it's also been putting an immense amount of pressure on the Lebanese government to act more decisively to disarm Hezbollah, to declare the group a terrorist group, and take a much tougher stance against Hezbollah despite the concerns from Lebanese officials that doing so could be very destabilizing for the country. So basically, whereas the United States has been a check on Israel's actions in Lebanon in the past, at least to some degree, that check seems to have disappeared or dissipated.

Yeah. At least so far, that's what we've seen. I think we're still waiting to see as this war escalates whether the US decides to step in and try to re Israel back in.

So Christina, just stepping back, should we think about this war in Lebanon as part of the larger war with Iran? How are you thinking about how they're connected? So, sure. I mean, on the one hand, the two are clearly connected, right? Hezbollah is an Iranbacked militant group. It fired on Israel in response to the killing of an Iranian leader. Firing on Israel, coordinating their rocket attacks on Israel with Iran, trying to create a second front in this war. And more and more, some of these missiles and rockets are beginning to get through and hit Israeli territory. Mhm. Christina, what do you see as the possible outcomes in this conflict in Lebanon, both in the short term and also in the long term?

So, Hezbollah is trying to inflict as much pain and as many casualties as they can on Israeli forces in order to change the political cost for Israel to continue to engage in this war. We've already seen that Hezbollah has killed two Israeli soldiers and injured more than a dozen others. But at the same time, there is this growing sense here that this war will last much longer than the Iranian war. People are afraid that when the war in Iran ends, Israel is going to turn its attention to Lebanon and focus its military capabilities here. And also, even just in the last couple of days, there are these new fears as people see similarities in the messaging from Israeli officials in Gaza and in Lebanon. The Israeli military has issued these sweeping evacuation orders for much of southern Lebanon, which is similar to what we saw in Gaza. The other day, Israeli warplanes were dropping leaflets over central Beirut, calling on people to disarm Hezbollah and talking about a quote new reality in Lebanon. And Israeli officials have said they believe Hezblah is using ambulances and civilian trucks to move weaponry and started to hint that those two would no longer be off limits. So these eerie similarities are starting to create a new fear in Lebanon. That Israel's aims in this war are much more permanent than in previous ones. It sounds like the Lebanese, not without some reasons are concerned about another protracted deadly conflict.

Yeah. So this is creating the prospect of more clashes with Hezbollah, more [music] displaced people and more civilian casualties for years and years to come. Christina Goldbomb, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. [music] Christina Goldbomb is the Beirut Bureau chief for the New York Times. [music]

The Daily is supported by Baird. Employeeowned and independent. Baird offers global financial advice focused solely on clients needs. More information at bearddiff.com. Listeners of the daily get to the heart of the stories shaping the world. For more on today's episode, go to ny times.com/thedaily. Distribution of the Daily is made possible by American Public Media. APM produces and distributes programs that entertain and engage audiences everywhere. The Daily is powered by the Journalism of the New York Times. It's distributed by APM, American Public Media. [music] You can go deeper into the stories you hear on the daily at ny times.com/theaily. [music] That's it for the [music] Daily. I'm Rachel Abrams. See you tomorrow. Susan in Lynchber supports professional, unbiased news, plus intelligent, interesting, and fun programming. While Mark in Blackburg says Radio IQ is one of the few radio outlets I trust. Our spring fund drive begins soon, but you can make your gift right now and let us know why you listen to RadioIQ and NPR and what public radio means to you. Just go to radioiq.org, click the red donate button, and when you're done, leave your message at the bottom of the form and thanks. You're listening to Radio IQ on WVTF Rono, WRIQ Charles City Richmond, WVTU Charlottesville, WVTW Charlottesville, WVTR Marion, WISE FM Wise, WQIQ Spennsylvania, WIQUR Lexington, WEC Emory, HD3 of Wurv Richmond, and on 92.5 Richmond and 94.9 Fredericksburg. RadioIQ, a listener supported community

service of Virginia Tech, on your smart speaker and online at radioiq.org. A tiny waterway is giving President Trump a huge headache. Iran continues to maintain its strangle hold over a tiny elbow of water called the straight of Hormuz connecting oil rich countries in the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. Something [music] we're dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it. Iran's basically shut the straight down, sending gas prices way up and the president demanding other countries get involved, too. President Trump's call for other nations to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz is going unanswered.

We are ready to ensure safe passage through the Straits of Hormuz diplomatically. However, there will be no military participation. But in the over two weeks since the US and Israel started bombing Iran, there doesn't seem to be a clear end in sight. And all the while, the Iranians inside and out the country feel split on what this means for their future. That's coming up on today explained. Really, really sad. Tracy Emmen here. More after the news.

BBC News with Chris Barrow. President Trump has criticized those allies of the US who he says are not enthusiastic about helping to reopen the Straight of Hormuz, which has been largely closed by Iran. He complained that countries who enjoy American protection and depended on oil from the Gulf did not want to get involved. Our Washington correspondent Helena Humphrey was listening.

There were definitely signs of frustration when he spoke earlier and President Trump has been urging allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But I think it's interesting to note that he's been framing this as something of a test of NATO partners. So at one point he said the United States doesn't necessarily need help, but it would be interesting to see which countries rise to the challenge. Essentially, the reality is that reopening the strait is a huge task. It is one of the world's most important energy choke points. The fact that the United States is asking other countries to help secure it does really underline the scale of the challenge.

Iran has continued its retaliatory drone strikes. Among today's targets in the region were infrastructure sites, including an oil field in the United Arab Emirates and the port of Fgera. Our international editor, Jeremy Bowen, looks at the long-term impact of this war on the Gulf countries.

We're seeing all the damage, loads more fires. Those Gulf countries have had serious differences amongst each other, but now I think that there's a sense now that they're going to have to reassess. Yes, of course, they will keep close to America as much as they can, but the word I'm hearing is things like diversify. We need to diversify our alliances because where has this Welcome to our 7 o'clock p.m. session of the Rono City Council on Monday, March 16th, 2026. And I will ask our clerk, Miss McCoy, to please call the role. Miss Powers here, Mr. Hagen

here, Miss Sanchez Jones here, Vice Mayor Maguire here, Mr. Nash here, Mr. Vol is not here tonight and Mayor Cobb here and a quorum is present. Tonight I'm pleased to welcome the Reverend Vanny Herrell, lead pastor at Church Alive International. It's good to see you again to lead our uh invocation and then I will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Would you please stand? Thank you.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, it's such an honor to always come before your throne, call upon your name, call upon your wisdom, your power, and your anointing. Tonight, I thank you that I'm able to stand here in the city council meeting and open this with a prayer of blessing and a prayer of asking, Lord, for your wisdom. Lord, we know that your word says that man's mind will plan his own ways. The end thereof is death, but the ways of the Lord lead to life. So we're asking tonight for the mind of Christ and we're asking Lord for these our leaders that your word says we are to pray for because they are your ministers for our good. So we pray for those who govern us tonight. And we ask Lord that they will feel your heart, have your heart for this city, for this region, for these people, for us Lord that live in this community and long for this community to be filled with peace, with your love and your power. Lord, we thank you now that we will not miss our day of visitation of your power and your glory. You won't have to weep over this city, but Lord, you will be able to shower this city with your glory in the manifestation of your presence. Lord, we just thank you tonight that this meeting is filled with your presence by the power of the Holy Spirit. We're asking these things in the name of Jesus, the name that is above every name. Amen. Algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Next item on our agenda tonight is a public hearing. It's a report of the city manager recommending execution of a parking agreement subject to certain

terms and conditions to obtain up to 20 parking permits for the use of not more than 20 unreserved parking spaces in the city's center in the square garage located at 11 Campbell Avenue Southeast. There's one measure, an ordinance, and I'll ask for a motion and second on the ordinance. Ordinance. Second. Thank you, council members Hagen and Powers. Madame Clerk, will you please read the title paragraph?

Yes. And [clears throat] excuse me. An ordinance. An ordinance accepting the bid of the First National Exchange LLC to execute a parking agreement with an initial term of 20 years. with each entity having the option to renew such parking agreement for up to four additional fiveyear periods. And which parking agreement will allow such entity to obtain up to 20 unreserved parking permits for use of space in the city's center in the square garage upon certain terms and conditions. Authorizing the city manager or designate to execute such parking agreement. Authorizing the city manager or designate to take such further actions as and execute such further documents as may be necessary to implement, administer and enforce such parking agreement. rejecting any other bids and dispensing with a second reading by title of this ordinance.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. And I'll recognize our city manager, Miss Turner, for comment. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I don't have any comments, but I do have Mr. Man, here should you have any questions. Okay. Thank you. There he is. Welcome, Mr. Man. Right. I'm going to open the public hearing. And do we have any citizens signed up to speak on this public hearing? I don't believe so. I haven't looked through all of these, but no.

Okay. Do we have one? Are you signed up to speak about this parking? All right. We're going to get to hearing of citizens. So, y'all are fine. Okay. All right. This is specifically on this action item, which is to allow 20 parking permits for the Promisori Hotel in Center in the Square parking garage. Did anybody out there sign up to speak for this? Thank you. All right, I'm going to close the public hearing. Any questions or comments by council? Mr. Hagen.

Uh, Mr. Man, just to make sure the uh center in the square parking lot can accommodate for those 20 extra spots. I know that Liberty has uh some spots. I think Center in the Square itself has some. I'm just trying to make sure. Mayor, vice mayor, members of council, we we absolutely have the supply right there. Okay.

Uh we it's been going pretty well. They've been there since January. So, both entities have been using the same spaces and and doing well with it so far. So, uh, as you know, many of our spaces are 8 to 5 and they change over after 5:00 p.m. Uh, if there's ever an issue with space, I'll give you for instance, was, uh, on New Year's Eve, we had a thousand person music venue up next to the thousand person music venue with the soldout hotels and, uh, we were able to block off the entire roof rooftop of Center in the Square garage, put up signs specifically for the hotel parking, and it worked seamlessly, and I haven't heard anything otherwise. Right. Awesome. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Right. Any other questions? Yes, Mr. Nash.

Where it speaks about, and this might just be my own lack of knowledge and understanding, um, where the bitter where it speaks to the bidder agreeing to the $15,000 bond. Can you give some clarification on what that exactly means? Uh, that I cannot uh other than they have to hold the security bond in order to enter into the contract. I'm assuming Laura, I I kind of defer to you a little bit on that. Sure. Yes, Mr. Nash. The 15,000 secures the hotel's performance or the developer's performance under this agreement. There's lots of requirements and the bond just secures that they will do all of the things that they are agreeing to do.

Yeah. So, it would have been to build a hotel of so many rooms, but they've already built the hotel and they've already executed that as far as that part of it is concerned. Then, thank you. That's very helpful. And then my other question is when it comes to the price that they pay, it's it's just our current rate that they're paying.

So the way it works, so uh to coincide with our hotel abatement and to encourage uh development downtown, we we do offer them a bit of a discounted rate uh for putting millions of dollars into the downtown district. So it's basically 50% of our reduced rate. And as our rate increases throughout the years, then so their their payment also increases. So, as you guys as you know, as you uh adopt the fee compendium as a city and set the rates for the city, if you decided to increase the parking rates, it would also increase their their cost back to park. That was my follow-up question. So, thank you very much for me. Yep. Thank you. Any other questions? All right. Did I close I did close the public hearing. So, we are ready to call the role. Madam clerk,

Miss Powers, I. Mr. Hagen, I. Miss Sanchez Jones. Vice Mayor Maguire. Hi, Mr. Nash. Hi. And Mayor Cobb. Hi. And the um ordinance is adopted. Thank you.

Now, we're going to move on to hearing of citizens upon public matters. Uh council sets this time aside as a priority for citizens to be heard and as deemed appropriate matters will be referred to the city manager for response, recommendation, or report back to the city council. Uh for those who are speaking tonight, um the clerk will call out two names at a time. The first person come up, second person be ready. When you come up to the podium, the mic is on. Uh so the only thing you might need to do is just adjust it for your height. Um there's a box in the upper right hand corner. Green means go. Yellow means you have a minute left, and uh red means please stop or wrap it up. And I'll work with you to do that. Every speaker will have up to three minutes um to speak tonight. We thank you for taking the time to come out and and share your perspectives. So, Madame Clerk, I'll ask you to call our first two speakers,

Abby McDonald and Kathleen Woolly.

Welcome. Thank you.

Hello. How are you? Good evening, members of the Rono City Council. My name is Abby McDonald and I am a teacher in Rono City Public Schools. Every day I walk into my classroom and see students who are full of potential. Students who want to succeed, who want to belong, and who are looking for opportunities to discover who they can become. That's why the proposed cuts to our school system are so concerning. These cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They mean losing activity buses that allow for our students to stay after school for sports, clubs, tutoring, and enrichment. They mean losing teacher positions, which leads to larger class sizes and less individualized support. They mean losing specialty programs that help our students discover their passions and stay engaged in school. For many students, those programs are the only reason that they stay connected to school in the first place. So, at the same time as we are looking at these numbers, recent audits have raised concerns about the city's financial management. One audit found that the city has spent $5 million more than city council had authorized in a previous fiscal year. Residents are also raising concerns repeatedly about excessive overtime spending and broader oversight issues. Last year, the school's rainy day fund was taken and moved into the city savings account. Now that money sits unused while our schools are being told that critical programs must be cut. So meanwhile, the community continues to see spending on things like firework displays, travel abroad for conferences, and discussions about large projects like casinos and ferris wheels. So I think it is a fair question to ask, why are our students the ones being asked to sacrifice? When students lose access to programs and support, the impact does not stop at the school doors and the entire city

will feel it. Because at the end of the day, a budget is more than numbers on a page. It is a list of your priorities. And right now, these decisions are sending a message that our children are not one of them. Our students and our city frankly deserve better. Thank you. [applause] Welcome.

Hi, my name is Kate Woolly. I'm from the Bus Riders of Rono Advocacy Group. I've provided uh a couple of photos that I took all the way back in February for your consideration. Uh I only have one copy. My personal printing abilities are limited. But um my colleague is going to come up here later to ask you to fully fund our public transportation system. I have provided you a reason here about why our transportation system needs this kind of funding. Uh these were taken in the aftermath on February 6 of the big snowstorm that happened uh and covered everything with ice. Uh the first picture that you're going to see is the crosswalk to the Department of Social Services, uh which is plowed because you guys plow the roads, but the sidewalks leading up to it, including the curb cuts and bump pads and other accessibility features, are not. Uh you are also going to see a photo of the sidewalk going down Williamson Road which is completely covered in ice and snow and also the footprints of all of the people who are forced to walk over that ice and snow. Uh your own website says that uh property owners should be aware that they should shovel their sidewalks within 3 hours of snow stopping or by 9:00 a.m. if the snow is falling overnight. My question to you is why uh are the uh automobile roads uh the responsibility of the city but the sidewalks are not? Why are individual property owners responsible for my ability to travel by foot whereas uh the city is responsible for the right to travel by car. Uh this might not seem directly relevant to buses, but one of the things we at the bus riders of Rowan Oak Advocacy Group like to say is that every bus rider is a pedestrian at some

point in their life at some point during their travels. I am here to make sure that you think about these non-obvious considerations when you are thinking about funding public transit. It is not just bus stops. It is not just bus drivers. It is not just stations. It is our entire city infrastructure that affects whether people can get around Rowan Oak without a car. Please consider that this is only a small uh sampling of the problems that we face during inclement weather. There are other bus stops like the one in front of Tanglewood, which is technically in the county, that weren't cleared out for days or even weeks after the snow. the uh Valley View Sears bus stop uh was inaccessible for up to a month afterwards because there were huge drifts of snow pushed by snow plows over it. In some cases, the snow plows are actively detrimental to bus uh riders trying to get where they need to go. Please fund public transit. Please allow us the same dignity that other travelers get when traveling in Rowan Oak. Thank you.

Thank you very much. [applause] Our next two speakers, please. Monique Bishop and Christina St. Jean. Christa St. Jean. Welcome.

Good evening. Budget cuts are crucial to our transit. And when you think about budget cuts, think about transit. Think about the impact that those budget cuts would have. First, it would lead to reduced service, meaning the buses would run less frequently, longer wait times, and commutes that become unpredictable. For someone trying to get to work, school, or a medical appointment, that reliability matters. Second, cuts can lead to route reductions or eliminations. When that happens, entire neighborhoods can lose access to transit. For many riders, especially senior citizens, students, and lower income residents, public transportation is not a convenience. It's their only way to get to jobs, health care, and essential services. Fewer vehicles on the road leads to overcrowding and reduced quality of service. riders are forced to wait longer and pack into already full buses. That discourages transit use and undermines the very system we're trying to sustain. Budget cuts also impact maintenance and workforce capacity. When agencies are forced to stretch limited resources, maintenance gets delayed and staffing becomes strained which leads to safety and reliability issues. But perhaps the most important point is this. Transit systems are essential infrastructure. They support economic mobility, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and connect communities. When we cut transit funding, we are not just reducing transportation options. We are limiting opportunity. Investing in transit is investing in workers, families, and the long-term health of our region. That's why maintaining strong support for

transit is not just a transportation issue. It's an equity issue and an economic issue for our entire community. Thank you. Thank you very much. [applause] Is there a Christ St. James? Is that the name? St. Jean. St. Jean. Is that close to anybody's name? Okay, let's go on to the next two then. Okay, Katy Lanni stores. And I apologize. I'm not really sure how to pronounce that.

Look at it. Katalani stores. Okay. Leila Preston. Okay. Lonnie,

Lonnie, Ka Lonnie Stores, you know,

that's the St. Jean. No. Okay. Leila Preston. Noah Haristston.

Ryan Glacier. Is that Ryan Glacier? Yes. Okay. Is there a Ryan Glacier here? Okay. Kayana Bale. Kiana Bell. Kiana. All right, Megan Mcnite. Here we go. YAY. WELCOME.

Good evening. Good evening, members of council. My name is Megan Mcnite and I'm an adaptive special education teacher at Lucy Addison Middle School. I'm here because the decisions you make about this year's budget and school funding will shape not only our classrooms, but the daily lives and futures of the children we serve. The students in our adaptive program and not just at Addison, but across the city, have already felt the effects of recent budget cuts, most visibly through a sharp reduction in field trips. Last year, my class had seven field trips plus recurring swimming lessons at the Kirk family Y. This year we've had two with hopefully one more to come. These trips are not frivolous or extras. They are essential opportunities for students to practice the social and life skills we work on in the classroom in real community settings. For many of my students, a single visit to a museum, a grocery store, or public event is the only chance they have to apply classroom lessons to the real world. These experiences help them grow into active, productive members of our community. I worry these reductions are becoming a death by a thousand cuts. On a spreadsheet, the losses look small. Fewer support staff, fewer pair of professionals, fewer opportunities for inclusion, and fewer resources to adapt curriculum so students with disabilities can access general education classes. These aren't always line items you can easily point to, but they accumulate quietly until entire programs and opportunities disappear, leaving lifelong impacts on the students who rely on them most. As adults, it is our responsibility to shoulder the burden in difficult times so our children do not bear it. Rono City Public Schools had a rainy day fund that by many accounts could have covered the $10 million deficit and made these changes while still challenging far less damaging, but

they had to return those funds back over to the city. We teach our students to save and be financially responsible. Are we modeling that behavior or asking them to do as we say, not as we do? I urge the council to adopt a funding plan that puts our schools and our city's childrens first. Prioritize maintaining support staff, protect opportunities for community- based learning, and use available resources responsibly so the co cuts do not erode the services that allow students with disabilities to thrive. Every small decision you make in this room echoes in our classrooms. Invest in our children now and you invest in the future of this city. Thank you for your time and for considering the real human consequences behind the numbers. Thank you. [applause] Chanel Henderson and Thomas Robinson.

Welcome.

My name is Chanel Henderson. My husband and I have four children. One going to high school, one in middle, and two in elementary school. We are also both small business owners. He owns Rono Pediatrics and I co-direct a tree planted collective and local mental health nonprofit here in the city. We also own three properties here in the city. You could say we have a vested interest here. Um the fact that Ronoke has a higher than average investment in schools is exactly what drew us here in the first place 10 years ago. This communicated to me as a young mother of two at the time that this community is ready to partner with me in the difficult task of raising a family. Now that I'm a business owner and director, I'm keenly aware of how interconnected we all are in this city with schools operating more like a hub than a spoke in a wheel. My husband is able to see patients because he and his nurse have child care. A kindergarten teacher can go to her own therapy because her teenagers are in community builders. A child can see me at the lift center because a teacher can bring them back to class at Fallen Park. All while my own children are in class. One particular partnership stands out to me as a prime example of this. In the early days of my career, I partnered with CCC to provide a girl girls empowerment group for first generation daughters from Afghanistan. We were able to do things like soccer and dance lessons along with self-esteem lessons all housed out of Fair View Elementary. The only way we were able to do pull it off was through the vital role the school played. The girls had permission to attend my group because they were relieved of their duty to provide child care to their toddler siblings. Their mothers were given ch language classes and the toddler supervision from school staff. And the girls could be girls together because they had a ride home at the end of the day through activity buses. None of this work in our grant would have been possible without the use of the school as the hub. Raising children costs something. When you cut a school budget, those costs do not go away. But we know through experience that when public funds for these things

dry up, women and girls disproportionately absorb those costs, it comes at a price. I would not be the community leader you see here if it weren't for the robust public education the city has provided my family for the past 10 years. Cutting the school's budget isn't trimming branches. It's cutting a tree trunk at its roots. We will continue to invest in our children. The question is, will you? If not, I am prepared to vote for council members who will truly partner with us and our families. Thank you very much. [applause]

Thomas Robinson. I don't see him. Richard Re F. I'm sorry. Richard Fe. Yeah, come on up, Richard. That's fine. This is whatever citizens want to share with us tonight. So, come on up. [laughter] Richard, we're five. Thank you.

Welcome. Mayor Cobb, members of council, madam city manager, madam attorney, uh my name is Richard Fe, as I said, I come before you as a member of the friends of Evans Spring and wish to talk about about that that development plan. Uh the city of Rono puts out a lot of communications. There's a website full of stuff. Uh, can it be easily penetrated all the time to find what you want? Not no not by me. And there are publications in the news, etc., etc. But for the life of me, I cannot figure out quite what the process is that we mean to be using to determine the future of evidence spread. Who's doing what when, who has what role, what is happening this month, next month, the month after, what kind of decisions are being made, that kind of thing. That's critical information for the public to have to know how to help you do your job. It would help if you would give us uh the public uh opportunity to participate more throughout the process. So there's a bit that went on a bit earlier. There were some kinds of hearing sessions or something of that sort. Okay. And then a lot of things I imagine are happening behind the scenes that we know nothing about. And then our fear, if you will, is that something will end up being decided and we'll be told what it is and we will be have been cut out of a significant part in the process. We want to challenge you on that if if I could put it that way. Be asked to be given a greater part in the process as

it moves forward to make whatever decision it is the city makes. I don't know. Councelor Nash, you proposed uh a council initiative, something of this sort that had to do with re-examining the development plan for Evans Spring. I heard what you said then. I don't know what has happened with it since then. Again, what's happening behind closed doors with regard to Evans Springs future. My suspicion is what you talked about is very much what the friends of Evans Springs have in mind proposing with regard to Evans Spring development. I want to suggest to you that what we have in mind is uh one that uh better protects the lickun Evans spring watershed than the one that was approved in 2024. It better protects the tree canopy and mitigates against the ill effects of the heat island effect in Northwest. It saves the city millions and millions of dollars compared to the plan that was approved in 2024. no uh interchange coming in from the major highway. Uh it rectifies more so the damage that was done to the city and the black community through urban renewal. It mitigates against future gentrification in the same way that the plan approved uh would not and it mitigates against displacement that the plan approved would encourage. We think we have a much better plan We ask you to tell you know help us understand what is going on and include us more so in the process and the decisions being made and how things how the thing is made if you will and comes out in the

Thank you. Thank you very much. So I I do want to clarify that um this has been a very public process. There were six uh public meetings um held at different locations in the city that were very widely publicized that people could come to. I saw numerous people from Friends of Evans Spring at nearly all of them. Um we are in a stage now where um depending on what the zoning amendments were, some of it was related to Evans Spring. Some of it was related to [snorts] there were three things. Help me. Vape vape shops and the zoning vape shop or the the the

and the zoning amendments that were passed two years ago. So there are subsequent meetings being held with stakeholder groups of which one of those is friends of Evans Spring. If you have all have not been reached out to yet for a specific meeting then we will make sure that that happens because that was part of the plan

is to reach out to stakeholder groups like Friends of Evans. And then uh once that's done the staff is working on a summary report to bring back to council. It has to go through any changes would have to go through the planning commission first. So there would again be a public process for people to engage in uh reading the materials, the report going to the planning commission. Then the planning commission would vote on those changes and bring it to council. And that's all expected to happen. We did delay it a month uh to allow more time for community engagement. And so that should all be finished in April and May. So that's an overview of the process and the public meetings. So

can I speak to that? You can respond but I'm just sharing information with you. Got it. So uh what I'm not sure I mean we have been for some time working on an alternative plan to Evans Spring that does the kinds of things I was saying to you in what I just said a few minutes ago. I'm not sure where that might fit in the process at all. I I see I don't understand where the public is fitting into this other than in these hearings let's say where they a few people from public planning department planning department are there to answer some questions or show us some pictures.

So what I'm I mean we we've done a lot of work and are doing a lot of work to try to build a plan that works better in a way for the larger community and addresses a number of our issues. But I don't see a place for that consideration or our part in the in the larger conversation that we're having here other than what you just said, which I wasn't aware of, but I certainly don't know everything about it.

Well, like I said, that's been well publicized. We will continue to publicize it. I know that I've met and maybe several of us have met with friends of Evans and heard about the alternative plan. So, we are at least informed. If you all want to share that with the public, um you're more than welcome to have any number of speakers to come before any council meetings and share the pieces of that or you can meet two by two with council members to share your plan. Uh we would be happy to meet with council members. Okay. And you can schedule those through my assistant Kelly. We can we can we can work to schedule those. Okay. We will look into that.

All right. Thank you. Okay. Right. Our next speakers, the next two [applause] speakers, Grace Brian, Dena Anderson.

Welcome. [clears throat]

Hey. Hello. Thank you, uh, Mayor Cobb and council and everybody here. Um, I don't actually have anything prepared because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to come tonight. Um, being a mother of two, I think I speak for many people that wanted to come um but couldn't is that we've got um our hands full as people like to tell us. [laughter] Uh, these both the times of these meetings are unfortunately not great uh for for people that have uh kids at home. Um, and so I feel very privileged to be able to be here tonight. Um, so and and I want to speak on the if it if it wasn't obvious, the the school funding. Um, I'm privileged to be here tonight and I'm also privileged to have a choice in where I send my kids to school. I've lived in Ronook for the last nine years. Um, my husband and I moved here from the Triangle, uh, Raleigh Durham area in North Carolina. Um, and we have debated for back and forth almost the whole time that we've been here. Where do we want to end up? Where [clears throat] do we want to live? Um, and I think that I don't know if everybody's aware of this, but people move to the areas where they want to send their kids to school. Um, we have decided that we want to stay in Ronoke. Um, but now that we're hearing it's it's it's great. Although I can say that I'm proud of Ronoke, generally speaking. Um, but the if the schools I mean people move to where the schools are good if we care about I mean it I could stand up here and talk to you about my kids and how they deserve to have good things and and how all the kids deserve to have good things no matter what their parents can afford. And a lot of kids don't have a lot of parents don't have a choice in where they send their kids to school. But a lot of the parents that are financially involved in the city um I'm a business owner. My husband's a healthcare provider. Um we invest in the city. We own properties. We pay our taxes. Um, we have a choice and we a lot of people move to Salem for the Salem schools. They move to the county for the county schools. My kids are in preschool right now. Um, I mean, this is the thing. People in in when their kids hit

kindergarten, they move um they move to where the schools are. Um, and so if you care about the city and the people that are spending money in the city and the economic development of the city, um, whether you care about the kids or not, um, having good schools draws families in. Um, and if you want to have a city that you're proud of, you need to uh invest in the schools. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Welcome. Thank you.

Hi. Good evening, council. My name is Dina Anderson and I'm a Rowan Oak resident, PTA president, and mother to my daughter Hazel in the third grade Plato program. Your decisions have deeply disappointed me. I thought that I was voting to support education, not to defund it. I know that the city is facing a deficit and must make difficult decisions, but I feel it's not realized the impact that changing the school funding formula that has been in place for years will have on the children, our school community, and Rowanoke as a whole. Fully funding our public schools is not a choice, but your obligation to your constituents. My husband and I moved to Reno in 2011. We were looking to grow our family. We love the natural beauty, many activities, the community, but the city schools were the draw for us in purchasing a home in Old Southwest. I currently work in hospitality and see many people visiting. These people work remotely and are looking to start small businesses and they like Ron Oak for the same reasons. They are looking for a great place to raise a family. I keep hearing revenue is down, but you shouldn't make up a deficit by taking money away from schools. Bring in business. expand transportation to allow for better access to our region, but don't cut school funding. Businesses bring employees, and those employees come with families. Families care about their children's education. Rowan Oak will not grow without strong schools. This will negatively impact the city because once funding stops, so does student engagement, test scores, then graduation rates. When programs are not available, kids are more likely to find trouble. Neighborhoods and communities will feel this. and over 19 years of real estate background, I was always asked about the school system. Never once about a casino. Children matter, and right now you're determining Ron Oak's future. Our children are worth the investment. We can't afford not to support them. Schools are just an easy target to meet a number, but these are short-sighted decisions that cost far beyond any number seen. Those numbers are our children. My child in previous years came home with disregulated, emotional, begging

for me to homeschool her. My outgoing, smart, inquisitive, silly, rule following daughter was disappearing. And it was difficult to send her to school knowing that's the outcome. This is an absolutely no way to disparage any of her teachers. We love them. But there's much buried needs in education and behaviors within the classroom. Hazel seemed fine. She finished her worked. Many other students recognized she was able to help them. At the end of the day, she would come home and melt down crying at how stressful her day had been at six and seven years old. at how stressed out she was from helping others. This year since the Plato program has we've seen a complete change. At the beginning of the year, my child thought she didn't belong in the program. And it wasn't that she didn't fit, but because for the first time, she was actually learning, finally being met at her level and challenged. She is thriving now, has many friends, she and her classmates feel like they belong. Her story is not unique. How do we as parents explain this and send them back? How do you as a city send them back? If Plato was cut, it will hurt Highland Park Elementary tremendously. It makes up a third of Highland Park and a third is huge. It also means losing test scores from the fourth and fifth grade Plato. And it will affect overall scores and potentially even affect accreditation. You can blame the schools for the decisions on the cuts that are being made, but you're the ones that have decided to take the funding from the children. All of the programs at risk now are important to our families and communities. The decision will continue to affect more than just our students now. It will affect the neighborhood communities everywhere for years to come. We advocate for our school, students, and teachers. We vote for education. We're asking to reinstate the school funding in full. Children are the future. Invest in our city schools and invest in Rowan Oak's future. Thank you very much. [applause]

Christian Bernett and Nasier Jackson. Nazir Jackson.

Welcome. Oh, thank you.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of the council. My name is Christian Bernett and I serve as the president of the Rono NAACP Youth Council. But more importantly tonight, I come to you today as a member of the of Patrick Henry. Go Patriots. Rono City Public Schools is facing a $16.5 million budget deficit due in part to a change in the city's funding formula that reduced the school's share of tax revenue from 40% to 34%. That's a 6% decrease. That may sound small, but the impact is not. For students like me, this is not just policy, it's personal. Patrick Henry is already overcrowded. Classrooms are full and teachers are stretched thin. When staffing positions go unfulfilled, class sizes will increase. And studies show that a 10 to 15% increase in class size can significantly reduce student performance and individual support. Cuts to staffing also mean fewer counselors. The recommended ratio is one counselor per 250 students, but many schools operate far above that. Sometimes by a 40 to 100% more stu percent more students per counselor. That means less access to help with college applications, scholarships, and mental health support. Transportation is another concern. If after school buses are replaced or reduced, students who rely on them, especially those without reliable transportation, will lose access to sports, tutoring, and clubs. For many students, that's the difference between being involved and being left out. Funding reductions could also

impact classroom resources and academic programs. At a time when students are competing for college and scholarships, even small reductions can create long-term disadvantages. This deficit affects more than just numbers. It affects opportunity. It affects morale. It also affects whether students feel supported by their city. A 6% funding shift may not seem significant on paper, but for students, it can mean 100% fewer opportunities in certain areas. I appreciate the work that you are doing, but I urge you to keep the students at the center of every decision. We are the ones who will live with the consequences because investing in our schools is investing in Ron Oak's future. THANK YOU.

[applause]

WELCOME. Thank you.

Good evening, uh, mayor and members of the chair, well, of the council. My name is Nazir Jackson. I am the second vice president of the Ronok Youth Council. I also am a student at William Fleman High School. [laughter] Reno's children are facing a crisis they did not create. With a $16.5 million deficit threatening Reno City public schools, more than 13,000 students are at risk of losing stability, safety, and support that school provides every single day. One of the most devastating impacts will be on student transportation. The lifeline that gets thousands of students out of school to tutoring to clubs to sports and to out of after school programs to keep them safe and engaged. When the district projected to lose $38 million in expected funding over the next four years, transportation cuts are almost unavoidable. And when transportation is cut, the consequences ripple far beyond the bus stop. For many students, after school programs are the difference between going home to an empty house or being in a supervised structured environment. They are difference between being supported or being left out on the streets with nowhere to go. When buses stop running after school, kids lose access to the very programs designed to keep them safe, learning, and connected. These cuts don't just threaten academics. They threaten the well-being of our youth. They threatened the mentors who guide them, the coaches who believe in them, and the safe space that keeps them off the streets and out of harm's way. Renault's funding formula change from 40% to 34% of city tax revenue has already stripped millions from our schools. Our per pupil spending adjust for cost of living is among the lowest in Virginia at $17,220 per student. Cutting deeper now means cutting it to the heart of what keeps our children safe. Transportation is not

optional. After school programs are not optional. Protecting our kids are not optional. Our community must stand together and demand that Renuk's children receive the support, safety, and opportunities they deserve. Thank you. [cheering] [applause] [applause] All right. All right, that concludes all of our speakers tonight. Uh we will recess into one last closed meeting and then once we finish that closed meeting, we'll come out and certify the meeting. Uh just for the public announcement, um once we do that, we will stand in recess until Monday, March 23rd at 2 p.m. for the presentation of the proposed fiscal year 2627 budget. Following that that presentation, um there will be multiple community meetings. April 9th, April 16th, there will be a public hearing following that. I believe that's uh also in April. And there will be uh the budget uh will not be voted on until the middle of May. So there will continue to be ample opportunities to um have answer questions answered, ask more questions, um receive additional information, but that'll be the process moving forward. So um we stand in recess. Thank you all for coming.