City Council - Regular Meeting

a three-page single spaced memo on letterhead that says the chambers of the chief justice and he explains to his colleagues why he thinks the Obama plan needs to be halted. He says it's going to impose enormous burdens on states and on the coal industry. And he says the EPA has kind of tricked us not long ago and we're not going to let them do that to us again. Hm. Tricked how? What does he say? Just a few months before all of this, the court had ruled against the EPA in a case involving mercury emissions. That case had been litigated over 3 years, three and a half years.

The normal Supreme Court process

in the normal Supreme Court process. And nobody had granted the challengers a stay. So they were starting to comply with the regulation. As the litigation goes forward, the Supreme Court rules against the EPA and the next day the EPA official puts up a blog post and essentially says, "Very nice. You ruled against this Supreme Court, but in the meantime, the rule has essentially gone into effect and your ruling doesn't mean very much." And that seems to drive the Chief Justice crazy. He concludes at the end of the memo, the absence of a stay in that Mercury case allowed the agency to effectively implement an important program we held to be contrary to law. And you have the sense that he's peeved, he's irked, and he's not going to let it happen again.

Roberts is telling his fellow justices in this memo, I don't like what I am seeing. Yes. And the chief justice may be right that in retrospect they should have paused the mercury plan which was pretty fastm moving but when you think about the clean power plan it's less clear that court needs to act fast and justice says as much in a memo he writes responding to Roberts that same day

he lays out the chronology of the clean power plan which doesn't require industry to do anything for 6 years and doesn't require total compliance until 2030, right? It's 2016, so that's quite some time,

right? So, he's thinking there's plenty of time to do this in the usual course. And he doesn't know why the court should be doing what he says is quite unusual. He says it's unusual for the court to issue a state of agency's order during the time that the court of appeals is considering its lawfulness. What's so interesting is the chief justice's reaction. He writes right back the next day and his tone changes a little bit. He seems to be getting more irritated. He's very insistent that the court needs to go ahead and block this. Justice Prior is saying, "Hey, this is really unusual. Like there's something irregular about this." And the chief justice is saying essentially, I know, I know, I know, but it doesn't matter because this regulation is so expensive for states and the coal industry that we have to do something.

So, the sense of impatience that runs through this memo is really animated by the fact that the chief justice, he's ready to rule now. He thinks the court is going to grant review. He thinks the court is going to strike down this clean power plan and he doesn't understand why you need to let the process run out because he knows what the answer is today.

You know, in public, we're used to seeing the chief justice strike a very evenhanded, magisterial tone. Here, he's acting as a bulldozer. He's saying to his colleagues, we should do something we have never done before and we should do it fast. And then Justice Elena Kagan, also a Democratic appointee, sounds an alarm. She files a memo opposing the chief's stance that is even more direct. She says, "The unique nature of the relief sought in these applications gives me real pause." She also says, "We need more time on this case. This is complicated."

The gravity of this all is based on these memos starting to dawn on everybody involved. Right. And remember, Michael, how fast this is moving. We are now only 3 days into this discussion of this hugely consequential case. And the next person to speak up is Justice Samuel Alo, a Republican appointee. And he says that if the court fails to act, it'll do damage to its own legitimacy, which is, you know, quite a big thing to say.

So, you can see there that Justice Alo is echoing the Chief Justice's sense of insult. The chief justice feels played by the Obama administration, the EPA, and Justice Alto is saying, "Look, the Obama administration is trying to sideline us to render us irrelevant."

Okay. And what happens next? So the whole thing, as predicted, comes down to Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote. And on February 9th, the fifth day of the debate, he sends a a very short note. It doesn't say much at all. It's three sentences. He says he's voting with the chief, and that's it. It's over. The Supreme Court rules 5 to 4 and within hours the Supreme Court issues its order. In contrast to all this private debate that we've just told you about, it's just one paragraph. All the court says is that they are blocking President Obama's signature environmental initiative.

So this is really a question to both of you. Now that you have been able to pry open this previously locked box of the birth of the shadow docket, what do you ultimately conclude from what you've seen? The critics of the shadow docket have always feared that the court can't do its best work under this kind of time pressure without good briefing and arguments and deliberation. And these memos support that criticism.

And to continue Adam's thought, they're not only deciding a very important case. what they're deciding on is a whole new way of doing business. It's true that Justice Kagan calls what the court is doing unprecedented, but nobody goes further and asks the question, well, if we do this, where is it going to lead? Mhm.

And where it leads is what we've seen over the first year plus of the Trump administration where the court is delued by emergency applications and is spending seemingly half its time on them and is often in very short periods of time ruling for the Trump administration on major questions like immigration, like agency power, like government spending, like transgender troops.

So, should we consider the shadow docket as encouraging the justice's most partisan instinct?

Political scientists will tell you that there's more partisan voting on the shadow docket than on the marriage docket. And one example of why this is so and why people when they're acting fast might rely on their partisan impulses is in the Biden years the court voted against Biden on three different emergency applications which then eventually returned to the court and the court when it had a chance to do the full thing to actually give it consideration and deliberation voted for Biden in those three merits cases. So in short, the more time the court has to consider cases, the more its partisan impulses are dampened.

Deliberation also produces trust in the court and that's the second part. You know, public trust.

Correct. The act of writing an opinion for a judge is the act of saying, "Here's why you should trust me. Even if you disagree with this outcome, I'm going to show you my work. I'm going to show you how I got to my answer." And so when the Supreme Court changes its way of operating and does that so much less, there is truly a risk to the legitimacy of the institution. And recall that the Supreme Court's public approval ratings, the public's trust in the court is testing all-time lows,

and it's increasing reliance on the shadow docket to make major decisions is only going to make that problem worse. Well, Adam and Jody, thank you very much.

Thank you, Michael. Thanks, Michael. The Daily is supported by The Economist, providing reporting and analysis on global politics, economics, science, and culture, covering international trends, and emerging issues shaping the world today. More information at economist.com. For everything you need to know about the most important stories of the day, you're listening to the Daily from the New York Times, distributed 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 and is distributed by APM, American Public Media. You can go deeper into the stories you hear on the daily at ny.com/theaily. That's it for the daily. I'm Michael Avaro. See you tomorrow. Hey, it's a Martinez and I want you to cast your mind back to all the road trips you've had with that car of yours. Of all the miles we've racked up on the odometer, how many hours were spent listening to public radio? If mileage has taken its toll over the years, donate that car, truck, or RV to this station. You'll help everyone put more miles on their radio with hours and hours of thoughtprovoking news and information. Here's how.

Go to radioiq.org and click the support tab and select vehicle donation. You're listening to Radio IQ on WVTF Rono, WRIQ Charles City Richmond, WVTU Charlottesville, WVTW Charlottesville, WVTR Marian, WISE FMYS, 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. Secretary of Defense Pete Pegsth has been talking about the war in Iran in distinctly biblical terms, citing Psalms, the resurrection of Jesus, and the Book of Quentin.

And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. President Trump is comparing himself to Christ. Vice President Vance is fighting with the Pope. Watching all of this is the increasingly influential pastor Doug Wilson. He co-founded the church that Hegth attends. Wilson's a Christian nationalist who would like the USA to be a theocracy. He'd also like to help us get there, though he doesn't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

I believe that it is accelerating. I believe that we're making significant gains. I see assembling resources and I'm encouraged in that labor, but I don't expect to see what we're praying for in my lifetime. Pastor Doug Wilson and how much you should worry about his plans coming up on today explained from Fox. My Little Pony. First, today's news.

BBC News with Roshene Hasty. Iran's chief negotiator has cast fresh doubts on whether a second round of peace talks with the United States will go ahead in Pakistan. Muhammad Bar Galibbah said Thran would not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats and was prepared to show new cards on the battlefield. There's been no official confirmation of whether Iran will send a delegation to Islamabad. The US Vice President JD Vance who's due to lead the American team is said to be preparing to leave Washington. Paul Adams is in Islamabad.

Here the scene is already set for another round of negotiations. Pakistan anxious to prove that its mediation is working. Preparations are well underway across the city and security is once again tight. There's a sense of expectation. American diplomatic and military planes spotted arriving at a nearby air base. Good evening and welcome to our 7:00 p.m. session of Rono City Council on April 20th, 2026. Um, I will ask our clerk, Miss McCoy, to please call the role. Miss Sanchez Jones here. Vice Mayor Maguire here. Mr. Nash here. Mr. Volison here. Miss Powers here. Mr. Hagen here.

Mayor Cobb here. And a quorum is present.

Uh I will lead us in the invocation this evening and then also lead us in the pledge of allegiance. I invite everyone to stand please. Gracious God, thank you for this evening, for this council, and for our consideration of the city's business. Please keep at the forefront of our minds um the work that we do, the people that we serve, the health and wholeness of our city, the beautiful diversity and multicultural aspects of our city, and all that makes us who we are. May your pleasant may your presence be a blessing and a source of strength during this meeting tonight. Your holy night allegiance 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. ask Councilman Nash to uh bring us out of closed session uh by certifying our closed meeting. I move with respect to any closed meeting just concluded that each member of city council in attendance certified to the best of his or her knowledge that only public matters public business matters lawfully exempted from Virginia from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and only such public business matters as were identified in any motion by which any closed meeting was convened. were heard, discussed, or considered by

the members of council in attendance. Thank you. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Councilman Vol. Madame Clerk, will you please call the role? Miss Sanchez Jones, Vice Mayor Maguire, hi. Mr. Nash, hi. Mr. Volison, hi. Miss Powers, Mr. Hagen, hi. and Mayor Cob. Hi. And the uh meeting is the closed meeting is certified. Thank you. We do have an action item out of the closed meeting. Uh council has in front of us a walk-on resolution and um I need a motion and a second to bring this resolution to the floor. Move the resolution, sir. Second.

Thank you, Council Members Vol and Nash. Madame Clerk, will you please read the title paragraph? Yes, I will. A resolution confirming the appointments of Angela L. O'Brien and Lavar Humans to the position of assistant city manager and providing an effective date for their respective appointments. Thank you. Miss Turner, would you like to make any comments regarding this?

Yes, thank you. Um, as you're aware, in December of last year, um, deputy city manager, Mr. Roman, um, resigned. Um, we have gone through an, um, interview process, um, and we have selected, um, Mr. Humans, um, to serve as the next, um, assistant city manager. Um, we're excited to have him on board and thank you so much for your support. Thank you. And, uh, congratulations to both Angela O'Brien, who continues with us, and Mr. humans who we look forward to meeting. All right. Any discussion by members of council. All right. Madame clerk, will you please please call the role? Sanchez Jones. Hi.

Vice Mayor Maguire. Hi. Mr. Nash. Hi. Mr. Volison. Hi. Miss Powers. Hi. Mr. Hagen. Hi. And Mayor Cobb. I. And the resolution is adopted.

Our next item is presentations and acknowledgements. And I'm going to go down to the podium for a sharing of a proclamation and uh I'll invite some guests to join me. Uh Ethan Long. Um and these are folks from the Vaia Centers for Neurode Development. Um Ethan Long, the president CEO, Zenith Barrett, regional advancement officer. Leslie Painter, director of Ronuk Via Day School. Lauren Shaw, regional director of adult services. Melanie Wilson, clinical director, and Emma Beard, um, club and hub program supervisor. I'll ask you all to join. Come on. We'll get a picture in a little bit. Just come on over. I'm going to read the uh proclamation first. This is in honor of Autism Acceptance Month. Whereas Autism Acceptance Month is observed each April to recognize and celebrate the strengths, voices, and contributions of individuals on the autism spectrum. while promoting understanding, inclusion, and respect throughout our community. Whereas Vaia Centers for Neurode Development envisions a world in which individuals, families, and communities support, embrace, and celebrate the differences related to autism and neurodedevelopmental disabilities so that all may lead more fulfilling lives. Whereas VIA Centers for Neurode Development provides a comprehensive continuum of care across central and southwest Virginia, including early intervention services, specialized schools, and adult programs that support individuals and families at every stage of life. Whereas Vaia's mission is to empower people to embrace the strengths

and meet the challenges related to autism and neurodedevelopmental disabilities by providing compassionate evidence-based services throughout their lives. Whereas Vaia's work reflects the belief that every human being possesses inherent dignity and value and has the right to lead a purposeful and meaningful life while fostering essential life skills, community connection, and fuller inclusion in society. Whereas, Autism Acceptance Month provides an opportunity for the city of Rowanoke to affirm its commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community that values neurodeiversity and the unique contributions of all people. Now therefore, I, Joseph El Cobb, mayor of the city of Rowan Oak, encourage all residents to join in promoting acceptance, inclusion, and celebration of individuals with autism and other neurodedevelopmental disabilities, and to hereby proclaim the week of April 2026 throughout this great eight-time All-America city as autism acceptance month. Thank you all. and uh Mayor Cobb and council, I just want to say thank you for on behalf of all of the uh early toddlers, our student population, our public schools that we serve as an extension of and then our adults who are helping to uh live more independently, find meaningful work, and actually take advantage of all the wonderful things we have to offer in the greater Rowan Oak area and community. Thank you for including those families and for helping us build more inclusive communities so that folks with neurodeiversity uh challenges and strengths can be celebrated and be a part of our community. So, thank you. I know you have a lot of work tonight, so I'll let you get to it. Thanks so much.

Thank you. So, I'd like to ask if any council members have anything you'd like to share. just like to that you do just know how important it is and the lives that you touch is so important and thank you very much to each of you. Mr. policy.

Just like to echo that sentiment and you know I I do have neurode divergent folks in my family and I myself am neurode divergent and I think the work that you guys do every day to make sure that people are uh included and also able to use their abilities. Um and so uh really appreciate you and uh this proclamation uh about awareness this month. Well, I I just want to express my appreciation to you all for the work that you do, for being here tonight. Um, I think I've had the opportunity to tour uh both sites here in Rowan Oak and to see the extraordinary work that's done with children and youth and adults um is really inspiring and um that um regardless of a person's diagnosis that all of them have an ability to thrive in the way that they're meant to thrive is really special. So, uh kudos to all of you and please our gratitude to all the the teachers and the staff who help make this work possible. Can I have one? Sure.

Sorry, I just dawned on me. And we're really excited because one of the things we know is that uh early intervention can help assist folks be and live their fullest lives. And this August 12th, we're looking at opening our first center-based early intervention program over at the Whitwell Avenue program. So, we're hoping to bring those services, evidence-based, compassionate services even further to the community here. So, thank you. IT'S DEFINITELY a window. Thank Thank you very much. Yes. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you all. We'll now move to our public hearings. First public hearing is a request of the city of Ronoke to consider and adopt updates to the complete streets policy and adopt the safety action plan speed management action plan as a part of city plan 20 240 the city's comprehensive plan adopted in 2020. The planning commission continued this matter until Monday, May 11th, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. in the EOC conference room. Therefore, uh we will not hear this matter at this time. Item two is to receive the views uh public hearing number two is to receive the views of citizens regarding the appointment of two Rono city school board trustees for three-year terms of office each commencing on July 1st, 2026. The candidates are Darlene Elbertam, Derek Kakniss, Christopher T. Link, and Donna M. Little Page. Uh before we open the public hearing, I'll invite uh Vice Mayor Maguire and Councilwoman Sanchez Jones to share um conflict of interest statements for the record.

I, Vivian Sanchez Jones, state that I have a personal interest in agenda item 152 regarding the public hearing to receive the view of citizens for the appointment of trustees to the school board of the city of Rono due to my employment by the school board of the city of Rono. Therefore, in accordance with Virginia Code Section 2.2-3112, I will refrain from participation in this matter. I ask that the city clerk accept this statement and ask that it be made part of the minutes for this meeting.

I, Steven Terry Maguire, vice mayor, state that I have a personal interest in agenda item 152 regarding the public hearing to receive the view of citizens for the appointment of trustees to the school board of the city of Rono. due to my employment by the school board of the city of Rono. Therefore, in accordance with Virginia Code section 2.2-3112, I will refrain from participation in this matter. I ask that the city clerk accept this statement and ask that it be made a part of the minutes of this meeting.

Thank you both. Before I open the public hearing, um I'll just share instructions for anyone who signed up to speak tonight because this will also apply to the hearing of citizens on public matters. Um when you come up to the podium after your name is called, the mic is live, so you don't need to worry about that. Um each speaker will have three minutes. Um you'll see a little box in the upper right hand corner. Green means go or begin. Yellow means you have one minute remaining, and red means stop. If you're finishing up your remarks, I'll work with you to do that. And just a reminder uh to be respectful, to listen carefully to each speaker. Um and then uh matters uh that need further uh information will be forwarded to our city manager. All right, I'm going to open the public hearing for uh this matter uh hearing from citizens uh regarding uh potential candidates for the Rono City School Board. And Madame Clerk, do we have citizens wishing to be heard on this public hearing?

We do. Okay. If you'll just read two at a time. All right. Nancy Gray and Emily Casey. Welcome, Dr. Perry. Good to see you.

Thank you, Mayor. I am here to speak on behalf of Chris Link, a candidate for the school board, the son of a public school teacher, the father of a second grader at Grandon Court Elementary School, the recipient of an excellent public school education himself. Chris is firmly committed to public education and firmly committed to the very best education that every child in Rowan Oak City can possibly have. In his own service outside of his paid employment, if appointed, Chris will be fully committed, as he has been in the past year, to his service as a member of the school board. and any remaining time will be spent as cubmaster scouting America pack number 11 um where his daughter is also a a scout. His professional preparation is as an engineer. So Chris would bring to the script to the school board financial acumen, knowledge of how things work, logical analytical reasoning. But beyond that, Chris has other special gifts, especially as a communicator and as a collaborator. Chris knows when to speak and when to remain silent. He needs He knows when to stand up and when to compromise. He knows when to speak and when to listen and learn. And he knows what to do if he misspeaks or someone else does. And he knows not only what to say, when to say it, but how to say it. Speaking thoughtfully, speaking with respect for those with whom he works and for those who are working to serve this children

of our city. He is articulate, thoughtful, a team player. I highly recommend Chris Link for this appointment. Thank you very much. Welcome, Miss Casey.

Hello. Good evening, Mayor Cobb, Vice Mayor McGuire here, members of council, Miss Turner. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight. I am here tonight to voice my support for Chris Link for for the Ronach City School Board. Mr. Link has been diligently working on the school board for the past year, and he is ready and eager to continue that work. Chris has shown his dedication to improving our community through his commitment to public service. Whether it be serving on the board for the Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association as his daughter's scout troop leader on various committees at his church or on the school board for this past year. As a parent of an elementary age daughter, he has a vested interest in the success of our schools and will continue to work uh with the other members of our school board to ensure that we have strong schools that address the needs of all of our students, teachers, and staff. I have known Chris since I moved to Rono as we met when I joined the board for the Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association in 2018. Chris was already serving on that board. He had sought them out because he saw a need in the neighborhood and knew that he could contribute and make a positive impact in our community. I learned quickly that Chris is a very smart, thoughtful person who was able to examine situations from different angles to help come up with a solution to whatever problem or issue is before him. I know that the qualities that Chris has are an asset to our school board and by extension to our city. As he will methodically and carefully work through whatever comes to the school board to be addressed. If chosen again to serve on the school board, Chris will continue to work hard with both our city staff and our RCPS staff to make the necessary and often difficult decisions for our schools and for our city. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Casey. speaker Porter and Adrien Wilson.

Welcome, Mr. Porter.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the council. I'm pleased to have the opportunity today to speak on behalf of Chris Link, who's seeking reappointment to the Ronick City School Board. My name is Jason Porter. I'm a Reno City resident and I live in the Raleigh Court neighborhood with my wife and two children. In fact, we've recently returned to the valley from Northern Virginia because I feel so strongly about Ronok's value proposition as a place to live and raise a family. My son's a kindergartener uh and in the Ronic City schools and my daughter's in preschool and about to enter the school system in the next few years. So, the success of our public schools is a topic of particular interest to me. I've known Chris for about 10 years and I can say without hesitation that he's one of the finest individuals that I've had the privilege to meet in my adult life. He's a dedicated father, a scout leader, a committed professional, and a kind and thoughtful friend. But more than that, he's a person of uncommon principle, dedication, and earnestness. He's deeply invested in the success of our schools and our city, and cares deeply about the quality of educational outcomes for our children and our local families. He also shows the rare combination of being both passionate about those issues and also a person who thinks twice before he speaks. He's a person of great integrity and I hope that each of you will support him in reappoint so that he can continue contributing to the important work of the Reno City School Board. Thank you,

Mr. Porter. The next speaker. Okay. Yes, Mr. Welcome.

Uh good evening, uh members of the council. My name is Adrien Wilson. and I'm a resident here in Rowan Oak. I have three children that attend James Madison Middle School and Highland Park Elementary. Speak on behalf of myself. I'm here to speak in support of Chris Link's reappoint to the Ron Oak City School Board. I've known Chris for many years as both a friend and a colleague. And I want to share a few things about him uh for those who uh that may be beyond what you may already know or have seen during his time on the board. The best way I can describe Chris is inclusive, civic-minded, and flexible. And I don't use those words lightly. When I say he's inclusive, I mean he genuinely wants every child in this community to have equal access to all opportunities, whether it's academics or extracurriculars or support systems. One example of that is his work as cubmaster for pack 11. It's one of the few allgirl packs in the state and it's the only one in our region. In a time when Scouting America has come under fire for being too woke, too inclusive, he's created a space where girls can build confidence, learn outdoor skills, and develop self-reliance. Over the past few years, he's helped grow that pack from just eight girls to 27, including my own daughter. That's not just leadership. That is investment in the next generation of children. When I tell you he's civic-minded, I mean that this is a man that truly believes that serving on the school board is both a privilege and a responsibility. I know that every person that sits on the council understands how rewarding it can be to participate in shaping their local community. They also realize how thankless that job can be at times. If you try to make everyone happy, you won't make anyone happy. And I can tell you in the year that Chris has been in his position on the school board, I've never once heard him complain about the job. I'm a parent of three. My

daughter's a product of the Plato program at Highland Park Elementary. My sons are currently students in the Plato program at Highland Park Elementary. And I understand the difficult decisions that the school board has had to make and the impact. And I understand that Chris takes every decision seriously and deliberates each one fully. Which leads to my last thing I want to talk to you about Chris. He's flexible. Over 10 plus years, we've discussed many issues. Some we agree on, some we don't. And Chris has a unique ability that most of us don't. He's willing to change his mind. And I don't mean that he goes wherever which way the wind blows or that he can be easily swayed. As I've mentioned before, Chris is very deliberate with his decision-making. So he asks questions, seeks context, and makes informed decisions. And that's because he doesn't know, he knows he's not a subject matter on every decision. And that's what I think is the definitive aspect Chris Link about Chris Blink that makes him an asset to the school board and in a larger sense our community. Thank you for letting me speak and I'll leave you to it. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Wilson. The the last speaker on this matter is Jacob Smith.

Welcome, Mr. Smith. Hello. Uh I can't follow that these guys like uh I'm just going to read because I don't do public speaking very well. Hi.

Uh my name is Jacob Smith. I'm an associate professor of art and the head of the art program at farm college. In my role, I work closely with students who come directly from our community high schools, including those from Reno City. I'm here to speak in strong support of Chris Link and his appointment to the Reno City School Board. I've known Chris for about 10 years, and in that time, I've come to respect both his character and his deep commitment to education. Our conversations have often centered on pedagogy, student development, and the realities of raising and educating young people in today's world. These are not abstract discussions for him. He takes them seriously, and that seriousness shows in his work. Chris is not just someone who supports education in theory. He is personally invested in our school system. He has a daughter in the Reno City Schools and he shows up. He attends high school football games, basketball games. He texts us the scores as they're going on. He's present in the life of a community that he serves, and that matters. It speaks to a level of commitment that goes beyond meetings of policy. From my perspective as an educator, I see firsthand the outcomes of a school system. I see students who are prepared and confident, and I see others who need more support. Chris understands that education is about the whole student. He's consistently supported both strong academics, athletics, and the arts, recognizing that each plays an important role in the shaping discipline and confidence and opportunity. I have also heard from teachers and staff within the system who've worked with him directly and they speak highly of him. They describe someone who listens, who is thoughtful, and who approaches the challenges with care and professionalism. That kind of respect from educators is not given lightly. In addition, Chris has worked diligently and excuse me and equitably to navigate budget shortfalls that have impacted the

school system. These are not easy decisions and they require fairness and a clear understanding of priorities. He's approached this responsibility with balance and integrity. Just as important is who he is as a person. Chris is kind. He's professional and measured. He does not rush to judgment. He brings a s sense of neutrality and thoughtfulness that is essential and effective in leadership especially in a role that requires weighing many perspectives and making decisions that affect an entire community. He has already done strong work on the board and continue and continuity matters. Supporting a local supporting a school system is long-term work that requires dedication and consistency. From where I stand, both as someone who knows Chris personally and as someone who works with students shaped by local schools, I believe we need him to continue in this role. Thank

Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. And that's all the speakers for this. Okay. Well, I want to thank everyone who's turned out to speak for our school board candidates tonight. Um, appointment of these schoolboard trustees will be made at a subsequent council meeting, but in between now and then, uh, citizens are certainly encouraged to email council members uh, to call us to have conversation with us uh, regarding your thoughts or support for for a particular candidate. So again, thanks to all of the candidates and thanks to citizens who showed up to speak as part of this public hearing tonight. We'll move now to hearing of citizens upon public matters. Uh this time is set aside by council as a priority for citizens to be heard.

Miss Oh, sorry. I was distracted. Miss Sanchez Jones. Okay. All right. Uh anyway, um if deemed appropriate, matters will be referred to the city manager for response, recommendation, or report back to the city council. All right. So, I think they've both uh left for the remainder of the evening, which is fine. All right. So, again, we'll call uh speakers two at a time. So the first speaker will come up, the second will just be uh ready to follow that person. And uh madame clerk, if you'll call our first two speakers,

Matthew Placido Placidto. Okay. And George Dickinson.

Welcome.

Good to see you again, council. Um hi, I'm Matthew Placid. I'm vice president of the REA. We've met and spoken before, most of us. Um, we find ourselves nearing the end of a long process regarding the school budget. KUNI members have said their peace. The PTSA has made their position clear. The students have voiced their concerns. Council's facing tough decisions and we know not every demand can be met, but the RA has been consistent in its position since day one. We believe that there is a compromise available to protect the employment of 65 educators who are currently at risk of finishing the year without a contract. Already the existing budget has taken its toll on staffing. Over 100 staff members have chosen to leave RCPS and their positions will not be filled. The REA knows that this will negatively impact the learning outcomes and undermine the progress RCPS has made in ensuring every student graduates with a diploma and a resume. We also know it is ridiculous to blindside our educators in this way. RCPS is already looking at cutting $40 million over the next five years. Being given the leeway to do so, we could have ensured an orderly, gradual reduction in force that protected key services while easing into um into the higher class sizes. Instead, this council has opted to force onto the district 16 million in cuts, 40% of the five-year reduction plan, all in one year. The result has been devastating. The district must cut with reckless abandon and educators are being blindsided by spiking class sizes next year and letters telling them that they have not may not have contracts in a few months. As a result, teachers and principles are abandoning the district rapidly for fear that their job is next. What could have been a smooth transition to a leaner system has become a chaotic, disruptive shock. Um, and already we're seeing the results of this in our students who have learned that many of their teachers will not be returning and many of their beloved programs will be no longer continuing. The mayor and city council as well as Dr. White and Miss

Appel have been all been very generous with their time um and have met with the REA and in these conversations um we have proposed a workable compromise um where the city could issue a small bond say a $3 million loan spread out over 10 years that the district could take on in order to slow down the pace of the cuts and spread them more evenly. Um neither party who we've explained this idea of a plan to um has explained why it could not be pursued yet. the current pudget um um budget does not take advantage of this opportunity. Given additionally given that such an approach would force higher debt service onto the district, it would be opportunity to absurd assure the purchasers of said bond that the district could pay it back by council adopting a resolution clarifying how the funds will eventually be put back when the financial situation of the city changes over the course of the next few years. The RA has discussed this option with many people on council and we haven't heard any objections as to why it could not be made. So, we're left with only one conclusion. It is the policy of this council to alter the funding landscape of our city schools by pl forcing the burden onto teachers and school staff. We hope that these failures of imagination can be rectified by this Thursday and we hope that we can move forward with some kind of solution that spreads the pain evenly over the next five years. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr. See, welcome.

Good evening, Mayor Cobb, uh, and members of the council. My name is George Sickson and I am a Reno City resident. I work as a teacher in Reno City public schools. Uh, one of teachers well-known job is asking a question and then guiding students toward the answers. Reno City is currently learning the answer to a question no one wanted asked. What happens when the school's budget is cut by millions of dollars? The answer is slowly becoming clear. Over a hundred positions left by current educators resigning or retiring will go unfilled. 65 teachers have either been let go or on a to be determined contract. This will undoubtedly lead to larger classroom sizes, more discipline problems, and more strain and stress on the educator staying. And many are choosing to leave because of this. I am concerned that the schools will lose experienced educators and that experience is difficult to replace. We are also currently looking at equity issues. The loss of activity buses both before and after school mean that only those students with a ride will be able to attend zero period classes and participate in afterchool arts and athletics. Those suffering from this will almost assuredly be the students who need this outlet. those for whom the schools are the only path for them to participate in these activities. Another example of a program being cut is the Plato program, a gifted program that I am very involved in as the music teacher at Highland Park. And the district gained valuable experience from all of the educators that have participated in this. It will be hard to get this program back if cut, if not impossible. The losses seem from cutting these programs will be widespread and will take many years to recoup. It's much like my ride down to Granite Village on my bike as I go to Highland Park. It's a very easy travel down. It is much harder going back uphill to my house. While the city council is not making these

particular decisions, the budget cuts placed on the schools are the cause of this. To say I'm disappointed with these cuts would be an understatement. Schools are the foundation that the city sits upon, a place of learning for the residents children and a selling point to companies and individuals looking to reside here. I would hope the members of this council would commit to attempting to restructure the budget to give some of this money back to the schools this year. However, this is not if this is not possible, I would ask that at the very least they commit to returning the funds to the schools to their previous levels of funding in the following years. As a resident of this city, I voted for members of this council who I thought would be best champions of this city, and I cannot in good conscience support a council who votes against education. Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you, Mr. Dickinson. Chanel Henderson and Michelle Brooks. You say the first name again. Uh, Chanel Henderson. Don't believe that Miss Henderson is here. And Michelle Brooks. Miss Brooks is welcome.

Wait for that to go to three minutes because I'll need all of it. I'm Michelle Brooks, citizen, teacher in RCPS and a parent of an RCPS student. I stand before you today to express yet again my anger and disappointment about the lack of funding RCPS is receiving the next year. Dr. Brad Johnson said, "We say what excuse me, we say we want every student to succeed, but we don't value the places where a lot of them actually do. PE art, music, band or CTE. That's where a lot of kids finally feel they are good at something. That's where they want to be. That's where they start to believe in themselves. The word education comes from edutary, which means to lead or to bring out to bring out the talents and passions already inside every student. And for a lot of them, that doesn't happen on a test. It happens on a field, on a stage, in a shop, with a paintbrush in their hand. That's where they find what they're good at, what they love, sometimes even what they'll do with their life. Isn't that what it means to prepare them for their future? Renick City Schools has done a great job at helping students discover what they love, their strengths, and preparing kids for the future. Well, they have done a great job. However, with the loss of 65 staff positions due to the new funding formulas from the Rena from Reno City, extracurricular programs will be cut. Activity buses won't run for our students to find those and those passions and nurture them. Classes will be larger, larger teacherto student ratio. And unfortunately, more behavior issues will ensue due to higher classroom needs. This will directly impact the student learning environment.

The city manager and city council will only have themselves to blame as the quality of RCPS declines. Instead of saying you support education, you need to put where your money your money where your mouth is and actually show action for supporting education. Be creative. Find ways to show schools that that that schools are a priority in Ronoke. Bring back Eat for Education. That program raised $4.5 million for schools over a two-year period. That would help close the $14 million deficit schools are facing. There are many highquality teachers that are leaving the profession or the city schools due to the lack of funding RCPS is receiving this year. That ultimately hurts the students and the city. You may not see it this year, but it ultimately will come back. you will see the pinpoint the decline due to not having the proper funding. Thank you,

Miss Brooks. The next speaker will be Haley Huber, Andrea Renshaw. It's Huber. Welcome.

Hello. My name is Haley Huber. ironically also a teacher with Reno City Schools, though I'm here to speak about something a little different today. There was introduced talk of additional surveillance devices, Raven I believe it's called. It's a meeting I would have liked to be at to today introduced for the first time and I believe I heard also voted on for the first time. I was preoccupied teaching special education, so I was unable to come and give comment or opinion. And I imagine there are many other working-class people who were unable to come and hear and give comment and opinion. So really what I just want to communicate is that as a constituent it feels very dishonest for something to be introduced in the paper on the 17th voted on today and that was not a lot of time to make arrangements to one research what's going on to be an active member of my community and two to arrange for time off. Uh, apparently there's a lot of other teachers here in the room and they know the time it takes together to uh throw together sub plans. It's not something I can just do and it makes taking part very inaccessible. I It feels like a huge misstep and whether intentional or not, it feels very dishonest. Uh, thank you for your time.

Andrea Renshaw, Bryce Anderson. What was the first name again? Bryce. Bryce Anderson.

Welcome. Thank you. Um, good evening. My name is Bryce Anderson. I'm a Ron Oak resident and father of a Plato student at Highland Park Elementary. I'm here to ask you to please consider reconsider the choices you've made regarding the funding of our public schools. I'm sure you're probably tired of hearing from us and frankly there's nothing I could tell you that you haven't heard already. So instead, I'm going to address someone far more important than any of you. Hazel. First of all, let the official record show that I love you most. I hope that over these past few years, I've taught you a lot of things and I hope to teach you many, many more things in the years to come. But if you if you remember anything I ever teach you, remember this. Everyone makes mistakes, even grown-ups, even the ones that we count on to make big decisions for us. And while it's important to try not to make mistakes in the first place, it's far more important to recognize when you've made a mistake and to make it right. Fixing a mistake can be hard. Sometimes it's hard to even recognize when you've made the mistake. Fixing a mistake can be especially hard when it means admitting that you were wrong. Fixing a mistake can be one of the hardest things you ever have to do, but it can also be one of the most important. Look at these people in front of us. They're in the middle of making a very big mistake. The good thing is it's not too late to make it right. For your sake and for the sake of our city, I hope they can. Thank you.

Thank you both. Vanden Eel and Jane Vanden.

Welcome.

Good evening, members of the council. I am Ellen Vandenel. I am also here to advocate for uh some reconsideration of the budget for Rono City Public Schools. Like many adults in Rono, I am a transplant. I grew up in rural Minnesota. My parents were highly educated and they dreamed of a community where their kids and their kids' friends could have an easier time getting the education that they got than they did. My mom and dad were non-political. They never talked politics at all except for when it came to education. They always were trying to get people in our little community to give more and to do better when it came to our schools. Even though my schools weren't always very well funded, I was proud of the education that I received. I still am. And the money when the money wasn't there, the people stepped up, teachers, administrators, family members, they did everything they could to make sure we got the education that we could get. But when I go back to my hometown in Minnesota, that is not what it looks like anymore. Hard work and love goes a very long way toward education for children. But infrastructure matters today. Their buildings are crumbling. The test scores are among the worst in the state. Their teacher retention is terrible. The community has been putting their dollars elsewhere for decades, and it shows. There's still so much hard work and love there, but the love needed to show up financially and it hasn't. And now you can see it. I don't want my kids schools to have that trajectory. I have kids at Woodro Wilson Middle, Highland Park Elementary, and Grandon Court Elementary. And when my family made the decision four years ago to switch from private school to public school, we did it because we believe in

quality education, not just for our kids, but for every kid. So, keeping our Rono City public schools well funded means our school system deserves uh to serve all of these kids today and tomorrow. Thank you very much. Jane Bandon.

Welcome. Hello.

Good evening, Ron City Council members. My name is Jane. I'm an eighth grader. I'm a student at Woodrollen Middle School. I'm a member of the Future Business Leaders of America. I'm a track athlete and right now I'm an advocate. There are almost 14,000 children in Ren City public schools. Many of them take part in clubs and sports. In fact, I just came from track practice and every day about 20 to 30% of the team relies on the activity bus to get home. The National Center for Education Statistics has some facts I would like to share with you. If you take place in an extracurricular, you are 14% more likely not to have an unexcused ab absence. You are also 18% more likely to have never skipped a class. You are 20% more likely to have a GPA of 3.0 or above. And you are 20% more likely to earn a bachelor's degree or above. Many of those students who are in extracurricular curriculars rely on the activity bus to get home. If you cut the budget, part of the budget for the school system, activity buses may be affected. Without that support, many students would not be able to take part in extracurriculars. This may lead to drops in attendance and in grades. Consequently, there are also many programs that RCPS offers that are wonderful opportunities for kids. One of the most prominent being play or pupils learning appropriately together. I was invited to Plato in fifth grade after entering Renick City public schools. Even though I only spent one year there, it was an amazing opportunity and I learned a really I learned so much. I wish I could have joined earlier. I also saw my sister go through all three years of Plato and absolutely thrive there. And I'm so excited for my brother to have the opportunity too. If you cut the budget for the schools, Plato may be affected and many kids will not get the opportunity to have the same learning

experience. I would hate to see my brother not get get to even have the chance to participate. Overall, you can see that if we care about our gen next generation and about their education, we need to have the opportunities for them to learn and grow and having the budget we do helps us do that. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Amelia Anderson and Jacob Smith.

Welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to hear me the public comment today after you voted for this this afternoon. I'm of course speaking about the recent vote to add Raven technology to 75 of the existing flock cameras across our city. I understand there were concerns raised before the vote, specifically of whether the city would even be able to end the 2-year contract early if needed. Despite those unanswered questions, the vote still move forward. That alone is concerning, but beyond the outcome, I'm deeply troubled by how the decision was made in the first place. There was little to no public awareness. The first time many of us heard about this was through a single news article just days before the vote announcing a 2pm meeting, a decision of magnitude expanding surveillance capabilities in our city deserves far more transparency, discussion, and community input. Instead of this vote took place during a meeting meant to recognize community members and organizations that raises even more concerns about whether this issue received the focus attention it deserved. Our community already has flock cameras that track license plans and can capture images of individuals. Expanding the system to include technology capable of recording and analyzing audio is not only unnecessary but deeply concerning. We are living in a time where trust in institution is already strained. Across the country, we've seen examples of surveillance tools being misused or expanded beyond their original intent. Adding more powerful monitoring monitoring capabilities, especially without clear safeguards moves us in a direction that many residents find troubling. There are also broader concerns about how this technology is funded, managed, and maintained. When decisions involve federal funding, AIdriven systems, and potential environmental impacts, those

factors should be clear, explained, and publicly discussed before before any vote takes place. At this point, there are simply too many unanswered questions. We need more information for our city council, for our Rono Police Department, and for the citizens of Rono, Virginia before any hasty decisions are made. I urge you to pause, provide full transparency, and create a space for meaningful to community engagement before continuing on this path. Because decisions like this don't just affect policy, they affect the trust and safety of everyone who lives here at Ronup. Thank you again for hearing my plea to rethink this decision. And we also have a petition with many pages of people who are against this and we are urging more to go ahead and sign this petition either here or online at ww.change.org. No raven flocks in Rono. Thank you.

Thank you.

How do you follow that?

Welcome. Welcome back. Um, honestly, I didn't prepare anything for this because I didn't know this was happening today, the flock thing here. So, I'm just gonna say just because something is legal doesn't mean it's moral. And what you guys have been doing is downright immoral. You are just doing so many things that go counter to what all of us have elected you guys to be here for. You know, when they say parents will look at their kids and say, "I'm not angry. I'm disappointed." Yeah, I'm disappointed, but I'm angry. I am angry at all of you. I am a teacher who has to get these kids into the real world and get them jobs. And you know what? Reno City is lacking. We get kids from Reno County. We get kids from Martinsville. We get kids from all over. And you guys are lacking. And what are you doing? You're taking money away from the schools and you're investing in a surveillance program. You're investing in a surveillance program at a time of national danger. You're investing in a surveillance program that probably will be surveilling you in five years. I am an artist. I am somebody who has to think about what I put on a gallery wall might get me hung someday. And it is not a theoretical thing that in the future we might have some fascist dictator some. We have dangerous times here. We have people being killed by the government in internment camps. We stood here 10 years ago with a with a mayor who is advocating for internment camps. And now you guys want to put in surveillance systems. You are voting for immoral behavior. You're immoral. I voted for you. Never again. You're cool.

appreciate those who are listening. Thank you. Our next two speakers, please. Next two speakers, Jiren Manuel and only have Alex.

Welcome. Good evening, members of the council and mayor. Thank you so much for letting me speak again. I am also here to talk about the Raven cameras. I was here earlier. I listened to the uh comments made by the Rona Police Department and I wanted to kind of like reiterate some points that they kind of sort of missed the mark on a little bit. Uh first off, the council was told that the grant makes it free. I want to be precise about what the grant actually is. I located on the Bureau of Justice Associates assistance website. It is the fiscal year 2024 Edward Bryine Memorial Justice Assistance Grant local formula allocation about 50 57,251 and Rono was entitled to it regardless of whether Raven exists. Flock didn't make it available. The grant is not earmarked for acoustic detection. The federal solicitation RPD applied under lists more than 20 eligible uses. Gunfire detection is one line item. Others on that same list include crisis intervention training, mental health co-responders, community violence intervention workers, deescalation training, victim services, and extreme risk protection order programs. Someone at RPD wrote flock raven into the budget narrative. That was a choice and council was never shown the list of things that choice rejected. In 2019, Rono PD used the same grant program to hire a reset coordinator, a worker who responds to families after homicides. That is what this money can do when someone chooses to spend it on people instead of microphones. And here's what I need council to understand. If you halt this procurement, the $57,000 does not vanish. Federal rules allow RPD to file a grant award modification to reallocate to another eligible purpose. That is a routine administrative process. There is no cliff. Second, council was told these devices only detect gunshots. That is false. And

the implications go well beyond tonight's vote. The city's own staff report lists the trigger events, screeching tires, distress distress calls, car collisions, fireworks, and other disruptive community events. The last phrase is open-ended. Flock advertised screaming. Here's what city council needs to understand what you just approved. Flock CEO has said publicly that Raven is designed to be trained on new sounds over time with those capabilities pushed to from every deployed device as overthe-air software updates from Atlanta. He has been named on the record sounds FL sounds flock plans to add glass breaking power saws car doors other crimes that began with audio. That means once these 75 devices are on Rono polls, the list of things they can listen to can expand f expand without ever coming back to this chamber. Flock can add voice stress detection next year. They can add keyword triggers the year after. They can sell new detection models and activate them on our infrastructure and no one in this room will vote on it. You will read about it in the newspaper the way cities in Washington and California read about the federal agencies accessing their flock data. We have just handed a private company in Atlanta the ability to change what 75 microphones in Ronoke listen to by pushing software updates with no further approval from this council. You can choose to have RDP RPD produce the grant application the budget narrative and the list of alternatives that were not selected. If the procurement proceeds require binding policy that any new raven detection capability must receive council approval before activation in Ronoke.

Okay. Can you please wrap up? Yes, sir. Thank you. Um, and the last one is before any poll is installed, put this back on the agenda for reconsideration. The vote is done. The contract isn't signed. There is still a window. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much.

The next speaker, I believe, is Alex, but we don't have a last name. Is there an Alex in the room? All right, let's go on to our next two speakers then. We're done. Oh, that's it. All right.

All right. So, this council meeting will stand in recess until Thursday, April 23rd. this Thursday in the council chamber for the purpose of conducting public hearings on the city of Rowan Oak recommended fiscal year 2627 budget at 700 p.m. and proposed real estate tax rate at 7:10 p.m. Uh for citizens that wish to speak for Thursday night, you can sign up in advance by calling the clerk's office. You can sign up online. Again, this will be related to the budget and the real estate tax rate. Um, thank you all and we stand in recess until Thursday evening's public hearing.