City Council - Regular Meeting

More onto frontline health care providers such as medics, since they may have to keep patients alive not just for minutes, but hours or days. And that can greatly depend on being able to replace blood.

When you look at the future and how more responsibility and requirements get put onto our pre-hospital providers, things start looking a lot like they did during World War II when pre-hospital providers were transfusing blood and plasma on the beaches of Normandy.

She said training for that is a huge investment, but one the military is making. A potential frontline source for blood is troops, so they're now being screened as possible donors before deploying, and there's now a walking blood bank training curriculum for all the services. So the military has been working on the key issues, but hurdles remain.

You know, we don't really have enough people. And I do think that Congress and senior leaders need to hear that our military health system and the number of critical wartime specialists that we have is low. And, you know, we're downsizing everywhere, as opposed to saying we need to be having more critical wartime specialties.

While drones are creating problems, they also may be part of the solution. The Ukrainians already are using some to deliver supplies, and in some cases even using armored ground drones to evacuate the wounded. For NPR News, I'm Jay Price at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

After several stunning upsets over the weekend, the French Open tennis tournament has been blown wide open. In fact, it is now guaranteed there will be a new Grand Slam champion for the men after two of the world's best, Yannick Sinner and Novak Djokovic, both lost. Tennis journalist Chris Cleary is at the tournament in Paris. He's author of The Substack, Tennis and Beyond. Chris, welcome. First of all, start with the weather in Paris today. Has the heat subsided any? No.

Yeah, hi, Peter. It definitely has. And if Yannick Sinner were playing today, he would not be melting down. It's a beautiful, beautiful afternoon in Paris.

Well, that's why I asked, because he did melt down late Friday. Some people wanted to blame it on the heat. What happened?

Look, I think heat was definitely a factor of some sort. We don't know exactly what he was suffering from. He said it wasn't cramps. It sure looked like cramps to those of us who watched him. And he has had some trouble, Peter, with his body in the heat over the last couple of years. But it was a stunning, stunning collapse. Up two sets and 5-1. One game from victory, a routine victory. And he was unable to complete that victory. And he ended up losing 18 of the last 20 games to... to Juan Manuel Sarandolo, player ranked in the 50s. Just one of the biggest shocks in tennis history.

And after he lost, it looked like that might open the door for Djokovic to win that elusive, record-setting 25th Grand Slam title. But then he lost. What's going on?

It's true. I don't think Novak was anywhere near the same kind of favorite that Zinner was. Zinner had won four tournaments in a row and just was dominating the tour. Novak's 39 years old, obviously has 24 majors. fantastic player with his amazing past and he's always dangerous but he was not a guy I think that everybody was sure could go all the way and then he ran into this young Brazilian 19 year old Fonseca Joao Fonseca from Brazil who played a brilliant comeback match and beat Novak in five sets Novak was two points away in the fourth set from winning it couldn't close it out so it's been just one of the most surprising Grand Slam tournaments in modern history

Do fans like that? I mean, when the top players lose in dramatic fashion, does that make people excited or bummed out?

You know, Peter, it's a good question. I think because there's been so much sort of... routine quality to the tour in recent years with center and alcarez dominating they've won all the grand slams in the last two seasons and before that it was the big three of djokovic nadal and federer dominating for so long so once in a while surprise like this is quite refreshing and it gives all these guys like alexander zverev who is seated second never won a major 29 years old these are just huge opportunities for these guys to have a chance to pull off the dream of their lives

Kind of a similar story on the women's side, isn't it? Four-time champ Iga Shiantek crashed out over the weekend. So now the only top seed left for the women is number one, Irina Sabalenka. Do you see anyone who can beat her?

Oh, there definitely are people who can beat her because I think it's a bit of a contagious thing, the upset thing. And Irina's had trouble closing out the biggest titles, even though she's won quite a few majors already. This year has lost some finals she probably shouldn't have lost. But she's a big favorite numerically. And in the top half of the draw, I mean, she's the only one, if she were to win tonight, because she's playing Naomi Osaka. four-time major champion who hasn't been able to recapture her magic since returning from childbirth. But she's playing arena in a night match in about half an hour's time here in Paris.

Okay, as we watch for more upsets, I have one more big tennis story to ask you about away from the clay courts of Paris. Serena Williams is making a comeback almost four years since she last played professionally. She's going to be at the Queens Club in London next week. Just briefly, how's the tennis world reacting to that news?

She just confirmed that it's true and it's been rumored and it's a huge thing for tennis. Right now, it's going to be doubles only. But knowing Serena, I don't think she's coming back just for doubles at age 44. And there is one precedent. Martina Navratilova came back at the same age. Great, great all-time player. And she was able to have some success in doubles at around the same age Serena's trying to do it. You think Serena has a chance to make an impact there? I think Serena has lost quite a lot of weight and has come back very, very fit, very trim. She would not come back if she didn't feel she could make an impact. Win another major in singles? Probably not.

All right. Tennis journalist Chris Clary writes the Substack Tennis and Beyond. Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of the tournament in Paris. Thank you, Peter. It's here and now.

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On the next Fresh Air, historian Elizabeth Stordor Pryor spent years lecturing on the most charged word in American English and never told a soul that her father was the man who infamously used it, the legendary comic Richard Pryor. We talk about the N-word, growing up as Pryor's daughter, and why late in his career he swore to never say the word again. Join us.

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It's here and now. Cape Cod, Massachusetts is gearing up for its busiest time of the year. Many businesses there only open in the summer. They rely on tourists and on thousands of international student workers to keep them running. But as WBOR's Anindya Nwameka reports, those workers are having a harder time getting visas this year.

Summer on Cape Cod. Sun, ocean breezes, and plenty of waves. Soon, the Cape will be packed with visitors, and Greg Ketterer plans to meet that demand by hiring international college students.

They're a joy to have.

Ketterer runs Shoreway Acres Inn. He's hired J-1 students for years, which doubles his staff for the summer.

They're so excited about the opportunity to work in the United States, make some money that they're not capable of making back home.

However, Ketterer's staffing plan hasn't quite panned out this summer. Two J-1 students from Thailand were supposed to be here already, but their visa appointments were delayed. Ketterer says that puts more pressure on his small core staff to get the in ready.

Everybody just has to roll up their sleeves and work a little harder and work a few longer days and maybe work a couple extra days a week than they normally would.

I guess that also means you have to pay more overtime, right?

Yes, yes, I'll have to pay more overtime. And, you know, I roll up my sleeves and I do things too, you know.

The population on Cape Cod swells so dramatically during the summertime that there just are not enough locals to do these jobs.

Steve Simas is the New England director for InterExchange, an organization that sponsors J-1 students. He's basically a matchmaker between students and employers. He says nearly a quarter of all J-1 students this year don't have appointments to get their visas yet.

That's a huge chunk of the program that drastically changes your whole summer, changes your revenue. The impact can be massive for sure.

Seamus says the delays in J-1 visas are partly because of a lack of capacity at U.S. embassies. The State Department cut staff. They're also prioritizing other visas because of the World Cup. And there's something else. Officials are combing through students' social media accounts. That causes more delays, according to Congressman Bill Keating, who represents the Cape.

They're looking at anything that they perceive to be anti-American or critical. That kind of scrutiny wasn't there before, and that takes time.

Keating says the delays were foreseeable. He's helped lead a bipartisan effort to push the Trump administration to allocate more staff to process J-1 visas. Those talks are still ongoing. Keating says the program benefits the economy and strengthens the country's reputation around the world.

Very few programs are win-win the way J-1 is. They come back with a view of the United States that's extremely favorable. because they're down with people. They're working with people and they understand more about our country that way.

That cultural exchange is what attracted Ariana Gonzalez. She's an engineering student who lives in Columbia. She saw pictures of Cape Cod and got excited to do the program.

I saw it was really beautiful. i'm going to interact with many people so i'm expecting to get my english better and to get to know how they live their lives gonzalez was supposed to start work this month but her visa interview isn't until august she's trying to get something sooner but i don't know I don't know if it's going to be possible.

Other students in a similar position gave up waiting. Despite this, some businesses on Cape Cod remain optimistic they'll eventually get the help they need. Wicked Waves Water Park is getting ready to spring to life. A few workers sweep the floors and set up displays in the gift shop.

We need to order a new key chain rack, right?

And clean out pools. It's a lot of work.

That's the wave pool that we have over here.

Empty wave pool right now.

Empty wave pool right now, yes.

Plamen Kolarski is the operations manager. He was a J-1 student years ago and now hires them. He's had higher denial rates this year, but he has a plan to counter that.

We always can request additional people.

He's applying for even more J-1 students to come in, so he can eventually get the 100 people he needs to work as lifeguards and park attendants.

I'm very confident that I'm going to get everyone.

Not everyone shares that confidence. Although some J-1 students have arrived on the Cape, there still aren't enough to meet demand yet for the summer rush. That means some businesses might have to cut their hours or services if they can't get more workers. For Here and Now, I'm Zinin Jor and Wameka.

Here and Now is a production of NPR and WBUR. I'm Scott Tong in Washington, D.C.

I'm Peter O'Dowd in Phoenix. It's here and now.

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From WHYY in Philadelphia, this is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley. Today, historian Elizabeth Storder Pryor. She spent her career tracing the racial slur, the N-word, through slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and hip-hop. But what she didn't tell her audiences, and what she didn't tell most of her students, even some of her colleagues, was that her father was the comedian who put that word at the center of American comedy, Richard Pryor. I was a scholar of the N-word, and so obviously is he. Her new book is Something We Said, Richard Pryor, A Notorious Word, and Me. It's part memoir and part history of a word her father, late in his career, decided to never use again.

Good afternoon and welcome to the 2 o'clock p.m. session of Roanoke City Council on June 1st, 2026. And I will call on our Deputy City Clerk, Ms. Webb, to please call the roll.

Mr. Nash.

Here.

Mr. Vollison.

Here.

Ms. Powers. Here. Mr. Hagan.

Here.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones. Here. Vice Mayor McGuire. Here. And Mayor Cobb.

Here. And a quorum is present. I am honored to welcome the Reverend Carter Mundy, pastor of Redemption Church, to lead us with our invocation. And I will follow that with the Pledge of Allegiance. I invite you to stand.

Let's pray together. Father, we come before you today recognizing that you are the creator of all things and the source of every good gift in our life. You're wise when we're not, you're faithful when we're fearful, and you're sovereign over every nation and city and leader and circumstance. Thank you for your grace toward us in Jesus, though although we've fallen short of your perfect standard, you didn't leave us without hope. You didn't leave us to ourselves. You sent your son to live the life that we should live, but don't, and then die the death that we deserve, and to rise again so that anyone who trusts in him can be forgiven and made new. And our greatest need we know isn't economic or political, it's spiritual, and you've met that through him. But because of that, we come to you on behalf of our city today, and we pray for Roanoke and ask for your blessing on our economy. Please, God, bring new businesses and new opportunities. a new investment to our region here. Help others see the strengths of our city and the strategic location that we are in our state. Please allow local businesses here to thrive and create opportunities for families to flourish here. And God, we pray for our emergency service workers today, our police officers and our firefighters, our EMTs, our healthcare workers, and all those who serve on the front lines in our community. God, please protect and strengthen and encourage them today. We pray for this city council and for our city manager and all those who are entrusted with leadership in our government. Please give them wisdom and humility and discernment as they lead. Help them to steward the resources well here and make decisions that serve the common good. And God, I pray for them to work effectively with neighboring communities here throughout our region. We ask for your provision over our city. Please provide more than we expect this year, God. We need that. And we want our community to continue to grow and thrive in the years to come. So we pray your blessing on us. And we thank you for this city and the privilege of serving it and living in it. Please let Roanoke be a place where people can flourish and come to know the hope that's found in Jesus here. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to

Thank you, Reverend Mundy. This time I'll call on Councilwoman Sanchez-Jones to certify our closed meeting.

I move with respect to any closed meetings just concluded that each member of the City Council in attendance certified to the best of his or her knowledge that one, only public business matter lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and two, 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 City Council on attendance.

Thank you. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Councilman Vollison. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Mr. Nash?

Aye.

Mr. Vollison?

Aye.

Ms. Powers? Aye. Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

Ms. Santich-Jones? Aye. Vice Mayor McGuire? Aye. And Mayor Cobb?

Aye. And the motion is adopted. Council of the city of Roanoke is seeking applications for various vacancies on council appointed authorities boards commissions and committees and to access an Application you may go to the city's website at Roanoke VA gov to complete that application if you have any questions about the application You can also contact our clerk's office Monday through Friday 8 to 5 5 4 0 8 5 3 2 5 4 1 We're now going to move into our presentations and acknowledgements. And as we do at our two o'clock meetings, we're going to start out with council shout outs. These are opportunities for council members in our various travels and in and around the city to acknowledge special things that have happened since our last meeting. And so I'm going to start with Councilwoman Powers.

Thank you. Yes, I'd like to shout out to the cohort 11 that they had their graduation this past Thursday at the Berglund Center in the Bella Vista room. We had 16 students that graduated. They went through an eight-week course. And they are all now interns working in various departments for the city of Roanoke. So I want to congratulate them and their families for a job well done. And I'd like to also...

thank the city staff that worked with these individuals thank you i would like to do a council shout out to the baps charities they had their annual walkathon this past saturday it's a great event very fun thankfully we had great weather it wasn't too hot for the walk and so i just want to thank them for the walkathon but also all the different things they do to help our community here in roanoke

I'm going to shout out BAPS as well and their walk. I got there a little bit late, so I missed the walk. So I wasn't too upset about missing the walk, but nevertheless, I'm very appreciative for all the charitable work and fundraising they do. in the community. It's always good to have people working in that space to help the city kind of enact some of its goals and interests. I wanted to shout out the event at Melrose Library that went on this weekend. I wanted to swing by there, but the day got away from me and I did not get a chance to stop by. But from what I heard, it was an extreme success. I mean, a success beyond what any other people who were planning it thought it would be. And that's amazing to hear. So I just want to thank all the folks who had a part to play in that. Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor. I have two. I want to give a shout out to the Mountain View and Old Southwest neighborhoods that had their annual neighborhood appreciation picnic yesterday, which I was able to go to for a few hours and I know some other council members were able to join as well. That was really nice. Appreciate everyone that's involved with their neighborhood association and pulling together events around the city. And then I want to give a shout out to our stormwater team. I am really excited to see the progress they're making around the city with some different stream restoration projects, especially the site of the former Ramada Inn is moving along. and just really appreciate their steady improvements to our antiquated stormwater infrastructure. So shout out to them.

My shout out goes out to the team apprenticeship program. And I believe since 21, over 150 students have participated in it. And I also want to shout out to all the agents, all our departments that were present at the Melrose Funday. It was a great event. People were complaining that there was no place to park. So that's always a good sign that people came out to enjoy themselves. And, um, and I want to thank my, um. Colleague Peter for making me jump rope. So, thank you.

Yeah, I want to shut out the BAPS charity, like, uh, many others. We were, we were there, uh, the 68th annual sidewalk art show that's put on by the tall men downtown. That was great to see a little bit of. And yeah, the 6-11 event that Councilman Lawson and Councilwoman Sanchez-Jones, we were all at and everything. Yeah. So great, busy weekend.

Thank you all. I want to give a couple additional shout outs. So just adding on to what several people said about the Kiwanis Fun Day and Shiloh Baptist Church. at Melrose, we heard that over 1,200 people were there throughout the day, which is really extraordinary. We also got to enjoy the Lebanese Festival. I was surprised you didn't bring that up. It's always great fun, and we were honored to be there to present a proclamation in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Lebanese Festival here in the city. St. Elias Church actually is over 100 years old, so it was a wonderful time to be together. And finally, I want to give special commendation to our Fire EMS Department, our Police Department, and the American Red Cross for their quick response to the really tragic fire in Northeast Roanoke that took place on Friday. Due to their quick work, Neighboring homes were protected. Neighboring residents were protected. It is anytime there's a fire, it's tragic. And when there's loss of life, that's even more tragic. But I just want to commend you all for your extraordinary work on Friday and every day. Well, at this time, I'm going to head down to the podium and I'm going to invite all representatives who are here from different community organizations celebrating June as Pride Month to just come and join me at the podium.

You're good.

So what I'm going to do is read the proclamation first, and then I'm going to ask each of you to just come up and introduce yourself and tell us which organization you're with, and maybe just a quick sentence about what you do. Thank you all so much for being here today. Whereas Roanoke is a welcoming and compassionate city that embraces the diversity of our residents, including our LGBTQ plus community, in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally citizens have been part of Roanoke's history since its beginning, and a visible community formed here in the 1960s, anchored by the region's first known gay bar, The Tradewinds, which opened on Franklin Road in 1953. Whereas the first gay liberation organization in the city, the Gay Alliance of the Roanoke Valley, was founded in 1971 and was followed in 1977 by the Free Alliance for Individual Rights, with both organizations advocating against the harassment of gay men by bar owners and law enforcement. Whereas transgender Roanokers became increasingly visible in the 1970s, and a group of trans women attempted in the late 1970s to organize the region's first chapter of Tri-S, a pioneering national trans organization. And in late 1978, The Park, which today is the only nightclub that remains from that era, opened to rave reviews. In 1980, lesbians in Roanoke formed their own organization, First Friday, and the annual Roanoke Valley Women's Retreats. Whereas the AIDS crisis hit Roanoke hard with the first local death from AIDS reported in 1983, gay activist groups such as the Blue Ridge Lambda Alliance and the Roanoke Valley Chapter of the Virginia Gay Alliance organized the earliest AIDS advocacy and care work, as did the Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge. Out of these efforts emerged the Blue Ridge AIDS Support Services, also known as BRASS, and the Roanoke AIDS Project. Today, the drop-in center carries on this important work in our community. Whereas in 1990, a coalition of gay and lesbian groups formed the Alliance of Lesbian and Gay Organizations. And in September of that year, they put on the city's first Pride Parade Festival in Wasena Park. In September 2000, an anti-gay shooting at the Backstreet Cafe on Salem Avenue took the life of one person and wounded six others. This hate crime shook the city and opened a new chapter in our LGBTQ plus history. Whereas the 21st century has witnessed the emergence of new organizations and initiatives, including the founding of Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge Transgender Alliance in 2007, the growth of Roanoke Pride and the Pride in the Park Festival, including the Prism Foundation, the formation of Youth Saga and supporting LGBTQ youth, the region's first LGBTQ plus community center, the Roanoke Diversity Center in 2013, the founding of Diversity Camp in 2014, creation of our first uniquely black LGBTQ organization, the House of Expression in 2019, and Southwest Virginia Pride in 2022. Whereas Roanoke is a place where the LGBTQ plus community can live, love, work, and play, now therefore I, Joseph L. Cobb, mayor of the city of Roanoke, to hereby proclaim June 2026 throughout this great eight-time All-America City as Pride Month. So I'm going to have, I'm going to start here and work this way and then we'll work this way.

I'm here for the Roanoke Diversity Center, and as he said, we are one of the only places where queer people can feel safe and have that supportive space there, and there's also a library where they can read about queer history, which is really important for us as well. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Todd Rothrock. I'm with the Council of Community Services Drop-In Center, and we provide free HIV and hepatitis C care, treatment, and language services, as well as prevention.

I'm Judy Flincham, and I'm here with Southwest Virginia Pride. I came on first as an ally, and now I'm the treasurer for the organization. Congratulations.

And I'm Eddie Davis. I am the co-founder of Southwest Virginia Pride, and we started this pride about four years ago. It's our fifth year for our celebration, and we were welcomed with open arms, and we're here to help other organizations in the community. So we just thank you for allowing us to be part of it. Thank you.

Good afternoon.

I am Reverend Rhonda Thorne. I am the pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge. And thank you, Mayor Joe, for... for mentioning that because MCCBR was on the forefront when AIDS did come over the mountain, as many people do say. But we're not just with the AIDS. Since 1986, we have been a safe place for people to come and discover God's unconditional love for everyone. We are a safe space where people can express themselves, where people can find community, connection, love, and help people to live out their faith and to build community. And with that in mind, we have an event that everyone is invited to, everyone in this room or anyone that might be watching. We are having a celebration of prayer event at Valley Community Church. We are in conjunction, in collaboration with them. 5,000 Carriage Drive in Roanoke County is where we meet. It's from 11 to 1. Everyone is welcome. It's a time of unity. love, connection, community. There'll be prayer speakers. There will be music. And if you ever wanted to sing respect in a public venue, y'all come on. But yeah, it's a time for us to come together specifically in prayer for our nation, our world, our Commonwealth, our city, each other, and in very other different ways and things and means. to share prayer and unity together. If you're coming, though, we do remind you to bring your own chair. So, but thank you, Council, and thank you, Mayor Cobb, for allowing us, and we thank you for the recognition. You're very welcome.

Hello, everyone. My name is Alexis Williams, and I am here with Roanoke Pride. Just want to say thank you to everyone that has come out to our event. We just celebrated 34 years, and we're super happy and thankful for everyone in the community.

Hello everyone, I'm Taylor Medley, a local social worker and a facilitator for Youth Saga of Roanoke, an LGBTQ youth peer support group. I benefited from this group over 12 years ago as a high school student in the area who was closeted and felt like Roanoke was not a place for me. I am proud to say that's changed and I've returned to serve here and I hope that Youth Saga makes it a place where all young people feel like they can stay here in Roanoke. Thank you.

Hey there. My name is Dolly Dahlberg, Dolly Davis Dahlberg. I'm president and co-founder of Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge, co-founder and vice president of Diversity Camp. We worked with SAGA. We used several programs underneath that. We also do SPOT, supporting parents of transgender people. And we have SAGA that's now underneath the Diversity Camp as well. would just like to take this moment to say thank you for giving us a voice thank you for giving us some space because the transit or community right now is under attack and just about every way and we have to look out for our safety our welfare our employment and just to have someone come out acknowledge that you know we are part of the community that means it that means a lot so thank you so much

Good afternoon, everyone.

I'm Garland Gravely. I am the founding father of the House of Expression. I'm here to represent ballroom culture. I represent a lot of areas in this community. I'm one of the co-founders of the Roanoke Diversity Center and many other organizations. I'm here to represent, as I said before, ballroom culture. Ballroom culture has had a major influence on fashion, theater, arts, music. It's a global culture. And we're proud to say we're the first ballroom house here in the Roanoke area representing. And we also represent community. As a father, I have two of my kids over here, my granddaughter, and my daughter, Honesty. We are a chosen family, bringing love, acceptance into the community. So thank you, Roanoke, for all you've done and the support you've given us over the last six, seven years since we've been in existence. And I appreciate y'all. Thank you.

Before we take a picture, I'll open it up to council to share any comments you'd like to share.

Well, I would love to share a happy Pride month to everybody. While I was sitting here listening to everybody... As you maybe will tell, I started to feel in my heart just so much pride for our city and what all of y'all do for our community. The love that you guys spread throughout the city of Roanoke. And so I want to thank each and every one of you for what you do for the LGBT community and for the Roanoke community. because I am just so proud of where our city is and how we have changed over the years. And to see so many great organizations standing in front of me is really touching. So thank you, all of you.

I would just echo everything that he just mentioned and say that the thing that I love about our city and I think what truly makes Roanoke City the star city is not just the big neon star on the hill on the mountain, but it's the people that shine bright within it. And each of you help our city shine bright. And I love you. I appreciate you. And I thank you for all that you do and all the people who you help live their fullest lives possible. Thank you all.

Thank you. I am also very grateful that you're here today and I'm grateful to live in Roanoke and very proud to be a part of the community as well, to be a part of the LGBT community and What amazes me about Roanoke is how I think we're kind of more diverse than people really get at first. Like if you just visit one time, you think like, okay, like this city has like a little bit of diversity to it. But when you live here, you really start to appreciate and see the richness of that diversity across, you know, race, socioeconomic status, gender, but especially our LGBT community is huge. And I think a lot of people are surprised to see that. And I hope pleasantly surprised to see that because Roanoke, I grew up in Franklin County coming into Roanoke, and Roanoke was sort of the safe place for us to come hang out in. And I was a freshman in college when the murder happened at Back Streets and was not really fully out. And so I did not participate in some of those events that were on campus. And I regret that. I regret that I didn't feel like I was at a place where I felt like I could participate or wanted to. but i and i think things have changed a lot in those 25 20 25 years 26 years um and for the better i think for the better for sure and we still have a ton of challenges and it always has felt to me uh two steps forward one step back to see to your point dolly you know our transgender community is under attack right now and we have to um you know be clear-eyed about that and stick together but I see us doing that and you know we have a lot of differences because we are so diverse but I think we have those commonalities those values of love and wanting to be the type of community that I think we all are talking about that we want to be that's not just tolerant but accepting and where everyone feels like they have a place and so I'm just really proud of all of you and what you bring to Roanoke and thank you for being here.

I just want to say thank you so much for all of you that are out there working and fighting the good fight. And I just want to tell you a personal story. A few years ago, maybe about 10 years ago, somebody very close to me was looking for a place to relocate. And I told her about Roanoke. And she was concerned that she will not be accepted. I said, no, we are a very welcoming city. And I told her all the different agencies that work with the gay and lesbian issues. So she moved here and she got married here, so she was very happy here. So thank you for all you do.

Yeah, the downside of being on this side is that I always go last. So kind of echoing everything that has already been said, because there's no way in God's green earth that I would be able to match some of the stories that have been told. So, but thank you all for everything you all do. It really does help bring a lot of, makes our city a little bit better. So yeah, thank you.

I'll go last. Oh, okay. Well, yeah. I'll let Peter go first. I too just want to say thank you for being out here and thank you for being a part of our community, and we're just so happy to see you here. And happy Pride Month.

Thank you. And just one other thing I'd like to share, and I tell this story a lot because I think it's important to reflect our growth. When I started on City Council, the Human Rights Campaign has a Municipal Equality Index, which measures what local governments do to be welcoming and inclusive and diverse in terms of the LGBTQ plus community. And that scorecard has a potential of 100 points. And when I started on City Council in 2018, our score was 12 out of 100. We got to work. And for the last three years, even with the challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we've scored over 100 points in the last three years. And I want to commend our assistant city manager, Angie O'Brien, for really taking the lead on that. To our partners who've helped make that happen. To City Council's commitment to this I think we still remain one of the most diverse City Council's in the Commonwealth of Virginia And I think we're all very proud of that and celebrate that we're gonna go up here and take a picture I just noticed looking through my list that we've got we need to prepare a couple more proclamations for the organizations that are represented here So if I don't hand you one today, I'm gonna ask you to stop just a right outside these doors to the right is my office and if you'll just see kelly and let her know that you need an additional one prepared that would be great all right so let's just gather all right there we could squeeze in just a little bit more

One more step in. Get a big group. That's great. One, two, three. Thank you.

Next, I'd like to invite our liaison to the Gun Violence Prevention Commission to join me, Councilman Nash. I'm also going to invite Ms. Renee Taylor and members of FedUp who are here, and I see the chair of our Gun Violence Prevention Commission, Kathy Cohen, if you would also come and join us. Whereas gun violence touches every segment of our society and impacts people of all ages, it increases the probability of death and incidents of domestic violence, raises the likelihood of fatality by those who intend to injure others, and are amongst those who attempt suicide. It places children and young people at increased risk of physical harm and injury, and disproportionately affects communities of color. Whereas we honor the many lives that have been cut short by gun violence in our country and city of Roanoke, and the countless survivors whose lives have been forever altered by gun violence. Whereas it is important to recognize community organizations, such as Families Expecting Deliverance Using Prayer , which assist families who have been directly impacted by gun violence and provide a continuum of care to grieving parents, spouses, and other family members who must continue to provide for surviving family members. Whereas we encourage citizens join this campaign by wearing orange on the first Friday in June to help raise gun violence awareness and to honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors. And whereas we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands and encourage responsible gun ownership for the safety of ourselves and others. Now, therefore, I, Joseph L. Cobb, Mayor of the City of Roanoke, encourage all citizens to support the local community efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor human life, and to hereby declare the first Friday in June throughout this eight-time All-America City as Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Good afternoon. My name is Renee Taylor. I am one of the founders of FedUp. This is my husband, Theo Taylor. He's also a board member. And I just, on behalf of FedUp, want to thank you for this proclamation in recognition of gun violence awareness. I lost my father and my brother to gun violence. So every instance of gun violence is personal to me. It hits different when you've been personally affected by gun violence. And this proclamation, It's personal to me. It just shows your commitment to honoring the legacy of those who've lost their lives to gun violence and your commitment to gun violence prevention. So on behalf of FedUp, I want to say thank you. I'd also like to take this opportunity on Friday, June 5th, at 7 o'clock, We're having a They Had Dreams Too Memorial Walk at the MLK Memorial Bridge. As he had a dream, those victims who have lost their lives had dreams. Our families, we had dreams for them. And those dreams were cut short because someone decided to pull a trigger and end their lives. So we will have the bridge lined up. with over 80 photos of victims who have lost their lives right here in our city. We will honor their lives. We want to remember them, that they were people. They were fathers, mothers, your neighbor, your classmate, brothers, sisters. We've all been affected by gun violence. And so I invite you all to come out to the MLK Memorial Bridge Friday at 7 o'clock to help us honor those lives who have lost their lives to gun violence. And if it's appropriate, I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask for help. We would love to extend our volunteer base. FedUp does a lot in the community, but believe it or not, it's only eight of us, and it's strictly volunteer. And so we would love to have more support and have more volunteers to help us in combating gun violence and supporting families. Thank you so much.

First, excuse me, I want to thank you all for supporting the Gun Violence Prevention Commission. We have seen a great turnaround in our city since 2023, but every single life matters and we still continue to lose lives to gun violence. And I believe strongly, as we have spoken in the past, that as a city, we need to get together to support each other, to support our families, and to do all that we can to get rid of this awful scourge that is across our nation. But here in our city, we have done so much better, and we can do so much better from this point forward. Thank you.

Council members, anything you'd like to share?

I'd just like to say thank you for the work that you do. And fed up, I've read a lot about what you do, and it's just incredible. The work that you've done, the gun violence, and I agree with Rabbi Cohen, you know, every life matters. So whatever we can do to save one life, we should be doing it. So thank you very much for what you do.

I want to thank you as well, and to actually all the organizations that have helped to reduce the gun violence in our city, but we still have work to do. And so I thank you for. Making sure that we are proclaiming and and. Putting words to what we're going to do and how we can help out with this issue so I thank you very much for what you're doing, and I'm glad that we are doing this proclamation Because we are a city affected by gun violence, and we have work to do Thank you very much for your work, and I just really appreciate your

your comments and what you shared with us today. And I will personally volunteer for your volunteer, your call for volunteers. One of the partnerships that I saw y'all doing through the Gun Violence Commission that I thought was really beautiful was the, I'm not going to get the name right, but the Tree Planning Initiative. And I do a lot of tree planning on my own. So if you need volunteers, or I'd be glad to help you with that moving forward if that program continues. I think it's a really beautiful way to give people a place that they can go and

quiet and still and honor their lost loved one so I'd be glad to help you with that and just really appreciate what you're working on and thank you for helping make a difference over these last few years I was going to say that I was looking to retire and volunteer with FedUp but I guess I could also volunteer to do trees and I just want to say thank you very much for the work you have done so far and that you will continue to do in our community

to echo again everything that has been said. Thank you all absolutely for everything you've done. I've been able to make it out to a couple of your all's events and always really humbled to see all the support and love and desire for actually trying to address this. So thank you.

You know, and I would just add that As the liaison for the Gun Violence Prevention Commission, you know, one death, maybe not death, right, because the death associated with gun violence is tragic. But also the fact that we have gun violence in our community in itself is traumatic to the community, to the people who live around it. to the people who are directly involved in it or not. So as we as a city work, yes, to reduce the amount of incidences, it's not just about saving lives, but it's about helping the broader community and the folks that have to live in that environment. And talking about planting peas, I'll tell the commission at our next meeting so we can get you in there to plant some more trees. But it's been a beautiful thing, and I'll comment on that because we do a mirage of various tactics, right? And I know that the Gun Violence Prevention Commission sometimes get a lot of undeserved slack, I'll just say. But what was powerful to me about planning PEACE is that for some families, It's the only place they have to go that represents something that's alive when it comes to their relative that's deceased. Right. You go to a graveyard. Right. You know that your loved one is in the ground. Right. Their spirit may be in another, you know, maybe in heaven or whatever you believe. But, you know, their physical being is deceased and in the ground. But when you go and see this beautiful tree, you can sit under the shade and you can hug the tree. To be able to be a part of those dedications like I've been able to be a part of, it's so emotional and it's so beautiful. And so I honor the work of the prevention of the Gun Violence Prevention Commission in FedUp as well. Thank you.

Just wanted to let you all know that we are set to have ten more tree dedications this summer And possibly a few more and I want to thank Helen Ferguson for helping to make that possible for us Well and before we take a picture I know that this was never an organization that up that you wanted to found and

But this is the 20th anniversary of the founding of FedUp. And to just thank you all again for your taking your grief and your pain and creating something that's life-giving and hopeful out of that. Thank you all. Let's go up here. And now I'd like to invite our city manager, Ms. Turner, to come and share with us a recognition.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of City Council, it is my privilege to recognize Roanoke Police Chief Scott Booth for being named as a 2026 inductee into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame at George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. This prestigious honor recognizes law enforcement leaders who have advanced public safety through research-driven innovation, measurable results, and the implementation of evidence-based policing practices. Chief Booth earned this distinction through his demonstrated leadership in both Danville and Roanoke. As Chief of Police in Danville, he led a transformation toward evidence-based policing that contributed to a 52% reduction in violent crime while also strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the community. Since becoming chief of police for the Roanoke Police Department in 2023, he has continued implementing evidence-based policing strategies and stratified policing model, helping drive significant reductions in gun violence and advancing proactive community-focused public safety efforts. Beyond crime reduction, Chief Booth has been recognized for fostering improvements in organizational culture, accountability, transparency, police legitimacy, and community trust. His leadership reflects a commitment to data-informed decision-making, meaningful community partnerships, and lasting improvements in public safety. On behalf of the City of Roanoke and the citizens that we serve, we congratulate you, Chief Booth. on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for your continued dedication to making our community safer and stronger.

Well, good afternoon. Believe it or not, I don't really like to talk about myself or be recognized so much. I know it's hard for you to believe sometimes. But this is a big deal for me. I've been in policing this month marks 30 years. So whether it's Richmond, the D.C. area, Danville, or now here in Roanoke, it's been a long ride. I will say this particular award means a lot because not only do I sit here as your chief of police officer, in this great community, and Star City is a great community. It's a great place to do this work. But several council, Mayor, you've alluded to this before, We still have work to do, right? It's great to be here with the Gun Violence Prevention Commission and FedUp and our partners in the community making everything better, but we still have work to do. But the way you get there, the way you reduce crime and build trust and legitimacy is by doing evidence-based practices that have been shown to work. And if you do those things in communities, I don't care if it's Richmond, Danville, Washington, D.C., or Roanoke, great things can happen. So thank you for recognizing me today. I really appreciate it. It's great to work in a city where I have an awesome city manager, mayor, vice mayor, and members of council, and most of all community, and a wonderful department that you can see here today to support me. So thank you for this recognition. Appreciate that.

Come on up.

Thank you for what all of you do every day in our city that makes our city safe. You're wonderful. You know, I had some friends visit Roanoke a while back and when she got back home and she called me, she said, Evelyn, you guys have the most wonderful police department.

I said, oh God, what'd you do?

She said, nothing. She said, we got stranded on the road leaving, going out of town. And she said, a police officer stopped and we didn't know who to call and they called and got us all taken care of. So, thank you very much. And I said, well, that's just who Roanoke is. So, Thank you all very much for everything you do.

Thank you to everybody, but also Chief Booth, I think you and I have a very similar mindset when it comes to evidence and making sure we have metrics and stuff like that. So I appreciate that you got this award because that is how we change things is by making sure we do things that we know are right.

Congratulations, and George Mason got a lot of my money when I went to school there. A lot of it. A lot of it. But this is a university that everything they do is top-notch, and so to earn this award, to be in the Hall of Fame of anything, requires a level of excellence. And so I just commend you for that. And you said 30 years, so I hope you're not thinking about retirement. Hope you're here for another 30. No, it's not time.

Thank you very much. Congratulations. I'm really just so proud to have you as our police chief. I think you're doing a great job. I really appreciate the focus on the court for this award evidence based work. But your community policing, I think, has gone a really long way. I hear from people. I think we all do all over the city with issues and sometimes they're really mad about things and they have something that they think is. you know, needs attention right away, and they're kind of mad and yelling at me, but when I bring up, you know, have you talked to Chief Booth? They always have a nice thing to say about you or their conversations with your colleagues. So I think that goes a long way in building the trust that we need. So thank you for that relational aspect that you bring to the work, and congratulations.

But yeah, no, I tell people, I think there's a market of difference with you and your team. And I've talked with you about this. I've talked with Ms. Turner about this. I've talked with my colleagues and mayor. There is a market of difference. The focus on community, on data-driven, evidence-based, it is going a much farther way. And I run a vision with that. Thank you.

Thank you to everybody.

I need you guys to really squeeze it.

Maybe kind of stagger yourselves a little bit.

Thank you all so much for that opportunity to to honor and celebrate some of the very special things about our city. We're making a slight change in the agenda this afternoon. We're going to bring our unfinished business item, which is number nine in the agenda up to this point. This item regards the request of the City of Roanoke to propose amendments to our zoning code. And this is essentially the continuance in the process of our public hearing, which started on May 18th and ended at 11 p.m. at night. um and this is a procedural step that we need to take um what we will be uh do we need to vote on this matter yes so what what we are recommending today is that the Formal continuance of this public hearing will occur on Monday July 6th at 7 o'clock p.m There will be a legal notice all of the legal notices that are required will be produced For citizens that spoke on May 18th you can only speak once over the course of the public hearing and I know there were some citizens who had signed up to speak that night. They are welcome to speak at any of our subsequent city council meetings during the hearing of citizens upon public matters, or they can choose to speak on the night of July 6th. So today we will adopt, and I'm going to turn to our attorney for the appropriate language here,

on the motion to continue this public hearing do you have that thank you councilman bollison i make a motion to continue the may 18th public hearing on the zoning text amendments as previously described on today's agenda as item 9.1 to july 6 2026 at 7 pm additional notice will be provided for that date you have a second second thank you councilman hagan um

At this time, I'll turn to our Deputy City Clerk, Ms. Webb, to call the roll.

Mr. Nash? Aye. Mr. Vollison?

Aye.

Ms. Powers? Aye. Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones? Aye. Vice Mayor McGuire? Aye. And Mayor Cobb?

Aye. And the motion is adopted. I will say that if there are people who are here today to speak on this matter, we move this up so that you can speak during the hearing of citizens, which will follow right after this. Thank you all for your work on that. Now we move to our hearing of citizens upon public matters. The council sets this time aside as a priority for citizens to be heard. All matters will be referred to the city manager for response, recommendation, or report back to council as she may deem appropriate. Before I go into the instructions, let me ask if we have citizens to sign to speak today. Okay. Then I will save the introductions because my voice seems to be leaving me. All right, thank you. We'll move on then to item four, which is our consent agenda. All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the members of council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of the items. However, if discussion is desired, an item can be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. I'll ask for a motion and second on approval of the consent agenda.

Move the consent agenda. Second.

Thank you, Council Members Hagan and Vollison. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Mr. Nash? Aye. Mr. Vollison? Aye. Ms. Powers? Aye. Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones? Aye. Vice Mayor McGuire? Aye. And Mayor Kopp?

Aye. And the consent agenda is adopted. Thank you. Moving on to our regular agenda, we have no public hearings this afternoon, so we'll move to petitions and communications. And I'm pleased to welcome... Ms. Valerie Brown, Executive Director, Spokesperson for the Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association, to share with us the State of the Road Report. Welcome.

Thank you very much. Mr. Mayor, Members of Council, Ms. Turner, thank you for this opportunity. And as you all know, or anybody who knows me knows how much I love talking about Williamson Road. So here goes. A lot has happened this past year for the Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association, and it gives me great pleasure to share all these happenings with you. Today is about celebrating where Williamson Road is, recognizing how far we've come, and talking about where we're headed next. In 2025, Williamson Road continued its transformation from a historic commercial corridor into a thriving, people-centered business district that's powered by collaboration, reinvestment, and community pride. Through strategic partnerships, targeted programming, and sustained advocacy, Grava strengthened small businesses, supported property improvements, increased corridor visibility, and created meaningful opportunities for connection between the residents, entrepreneurs, and investors. Our role is simple, but it's not necessarily easy. We support businesses, we advocate for investment, and we work every day to make sure Williamson Road is seen, valued, and included in the future of our city. This year's progress reflects that truth. Williamson Road is not just growing, it is reemerging with purpose and reemerging with real momentum. Supporting existing businesses while welcoming new ones remained a cornerstone of GRABA's work in 2025. During this past year, we worked directly with several businesses along the corridor, ranging from long-standing legacy businesses to brand new entrepreneurs. This corridor matters, not just economically, but culturally and historically. and the work happening here impacts the entire region. Our goal isn't just business survival, it's business confidence, and that confidence is growing by leaps and bounds. Some of the 2025 outcomes that we're very proud of, we were able to directly support more than 100 businesses through technical assistance, referrals, and one-on-one engagements. Many new businesses opened, contributing to a more diverse mix of retail, dining, and service offerings. For instance, El Dorado Jewelry, Grab and Go Food Grocery Market, Paluchos Barbershop, and since then we've had two more barbershops open, Taqueria Rosita, Tropicana Bar and Grill, and they are reopening for a second time, Home Sense in Town Square, and the Mocha Mobile Phones and Electronic Repairs. Also, the Virginia Prosthetics office that has been there for many years has changed hands, and they've rebranded themselves, and their name now is 4 Motion Clinic Virginia. And they're here to stay, they said. Increased participation in Grava programs also grew. Grava's growth is moving in a phenomenal upwards direction. Our luncheons, which once attracted a much smaller number, now attract close to 150 business owners and managers each month. It's thanks to great networking, and it's thanks to all of you. Grava has served as a connector and advocate, helping businesses navigate through permit forms, answering financial questions, marketing challenges, and post-pandemic operational realities that are still hanging on, ensuring that growth along Williamson Road is both inclusive and sustainable. 2025 marked continuing momentum and physical reinvestment along the road as well, an essential driver and economic vitality that is needed. One of the clearest signs of progress in 2025 was actually what can be seen as you travel up and down the road. One of the points that we're very proud of is the advancement of the facade and property improvement initiatives encouraging private investment. With the facade grant money that we received from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of the transportation long-term plan for the road, we were able to assist five different properties with their facade needs. And those businesses were Porter's Automotive, Minute Muffler, American Motel, A&E Auto Sales, and their road favorite, Ritchie Freeze. We were told we could do anything outside and not touch a thing inside. Our interest and motivation with continued facade work is on on its way even now. We have done some work with Blue Cow Ice Cream Factory, which is just off Williamson Road, and we've been working with an apartment complex on Clarendon Avenue also, which is just around the corner on Williamson Road. This work further strengthens relationships with property owners focused on long-term corridor stewardship. Ongoing collaboration with city departments and economic development partners were key in this growth. Graba has been involved with working with the transportation department in the city to replace some sidewalks and curbing in an effort for pedestrians and those using wheelchairs to have an easier walk rather than having to traverse along the sides of the roadway. We were also involved in continued diversification of businesses along the road, welcoming new storefronts, new concepts, new entrepreneurs, and new food aromas, which was very evident in our most recent restaurant week where we had 30 different restaurants participating. So that was great. Absolutely a winner for us and for them as well. These improvements are doing more than enhancing curb appeal. They're changing perceptions, encouraging foot traffic, and signaling that Williamson Road is a place worth investing in. In 2025, Williamson Road wasn't just open for business, it was alive with activity. We became a high attendance and corridor hosting an event that brought residents, families, and visitors together. The best example I can share is that Commonwealth Day of Play of 2025 was one of our huge successes and one that we're extremely proud of. When we were contacted by the governor's office, we were the only association in the area to jump on board, and we're proud that we were that association. And the purpose behind the day was to encourage both kids and parents to put down their electronic devices for a day and go outside. We can't tell people to go outside without giving them something to do, so we partnered with Brookside Par 3 Golf Course as our venue, and we worked with first responders, Blue Cow Ice Cream, food vendors, Sam's Club, and many other business owners, and with only three weeks to plan, we held an event that attracted more than 360 kids and their parents and guardians. And the best part, I was the only one holding a phone in my hand. Nobody else had a phone. And there were lots of conversations, lots of laughter, and lots of fun. And we will be doing this again this year. So mark August 8th on your calendars, if you would, please. But as a result of the Commonwealth Day of Play, and our marketing team, which is Five Points Creative, they submitted to the Blue Ridge Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, which I call the... the Grammys of the PR world, they held a contest reviewing all of the events that had been submitted. And after reviewing all the entrants, our Commonwealth Day of Play, under the category Special Events, was awarded the 2025 Summit Gold Award. So just as we're excited about that award, they also announced Acknowledge that they also or they also announced they looked at all the winners and from that group they chose the best in show and We got the best in show really big pulse Award it was wonderful wonderful and as I said, we'll be doing this again So August 8th, please mark your calendars same place and maybe double the participation we also got involved in strategic storytelling the elevated Williamson Road through digital campaigns and earned media and community partnerships. We choreographed and taped a Buzz for Good 45-minute segment talking about the history of the road and some of its issues that made the road famous, as well as what the road is facing today. We also highlighted relationships with businesses. And also, in anticipation of our Commonwealth Day of Play, along the digital thought process, we worked with Blue Ridge PBS and released an hour-long podcast talking about the road, the event, and inviting all to attend. And we were told that that was one of the highest paying attention podcasts they've had in a long while. So we're pretty excited about that as well. So these efforts reinforce Williamson Road as a destination, not just a drive-through. and strengthened the emotional connection people feel to the corridor. People are reminded that moments and times at events regarding the road build pride, create memories, and remind people that Williamson Road is alive and evolving. Grava continues to serve as a trusted voice for Williamson Road. We have used our voice in a stronger collaboration with city leadership, public agencies, and civic partners, and also as a representative of the corridor in talking about the interest in planning, infrastructure, and economic development discussions. By staying consistently at the table, GRAPA ensures that Williamson Road's needs, opportunities, and successes were both heard and acted upon and will continue to be. The road's progress is tied directly to collaboration, and 2025 strengthened those relationships in meaningful ways. Another point of pride this year has been the continued growth of the Williamson, our co-working and shared office workspace. And I briefly would like to share that the expanded use by small businesses, nonprofits, and community groups, it's been phenomenal. In the past year, so we're talking 2025 only, we have had more than 467 requests for conference room use, more than 152 requests for desk rentals, and they're usually long-term desk rentals. and our private offices have remained full and rented on long-term basis. We also offer increased visibility as a gathering space for problem solving, learning, and networking. We've had such groups as the Roanoke County Police Foundation, the Roanoke City Police, Lanford Brothers, AFLAC board meetings, and many others to name just a few of the groups that come and we ask to use our space for various things. We've also had Many law firms from outside the state come and ask too. They're holding depositions here, various things, and they look on the website, and we're the first ones that pop up, so we've had many coming for that as well. So we're pretty excited that our word is getting out there. So as we move through 2026, Graba's voice will continue to be heard loud and strong. It remains focused on deepening business support and technical assistance, encouraging continued private public investment with the city, expanding programming that brings people into the corridor, thereby elevating Williamson Road's identity as a vibrant, inclusive destination. So very much, we are building on momentum, not just starting from scratch. The state of the road 2025-2026 reflects more than accomplishments. It reflects that momentum. It is a reflection of collective effort. That momentum created by business owners who took a risk, who are opening and continuing their business dream. It's the momentum that's fueled by partners who said yes. A momentum that's sustained by a community that believes in Williamson Road and believes what is possible on the road. So we are proud to stand at the center of this work and even more excited for what's ahead. The State of the Road 2026 will continue to reflect this momentum and grow and strengthen this collective effort. Thank you for believing in Williamson Road. Thank you for investing your time, energy, and resources as part of that belief. And thank you for being part of our story. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mrs. Brown, for that extraordinary update on the growth of the organization and the really positive, encouraging changes along Williamson Road. Council members, any questions or comments?

Ms. Brown, I want to thank you for all that you've done. I have seen such great success in Williamson Road since you've been at the head of that organization. And I also really looked at your budget, and I'm amazed all the work you do with not very much money. So thank you so very much for what you do.

Thank you.

Ms. Brown? Hi. I would just say thank you for the presentation. I love Williamson Road. I think we have made a lot of progress and still have a lot of work ahead of us. But I am excited to partner with you and the group on that and however I can. So please keep me posted. I get out there as often as I can. And just really appreciate your work. And thank you for being with us today.

Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

You highlighted so many things, but I wanted us to be able to applaud for the awards you got in collaboration with Five Points Creative for the Commonwealth Day of Play. So congratulations on that.

If I said I cried, it would be an understatement for sure. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Return now to item seven, which is reports of city officers and the city manager. And I'll turn to our city manager to introduce our briefing, which is our April monthly budget report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'd like to invite Ms. Harris, our interim finance director, to do the this month's presentation.

Welcome, Ms. Harris.

good afternoon good afternoon mayor cobb vice mayor members of council miss turner this report represents the monthly financials report for the month ending april 2026. beginning with revenues several revenue categories have already reached or exceeded this year's budget penalties and interest is at 113%, public service tax is at 106%, and business license is at 106% as well. In addition, real estate taxes are nearly fully collected and continue to track ahead of prior year's collection. The following revenue categories continue to track below pace compared to prior year actuals. Cigarette tax, emissions tax, and communication tax. Despite some of these variances, overall, local tax revenue is showing a slight increase compared to fiscal year 2025 actuals.

Ms. Harris, can I ask you real quick? I noticed that cigarette tax has been trending down year over year. is, and you may not know the answer to this, I could just say fewer people are smoking cigarettes and maybe smoking other things, but.

I love how you're looking at me when you ask that.

I was just glancing around. Well, I mean, the point is that, you know, we've seen an increase in vaping, obviously, e-cigarettes, all of that, but is that kind of aligning with what you're hearing in in terms of the revenue related to this?

Well, for the county, yes. It has been a decrease for them as well, too.

So we're seeing that in neighboring localities, too. Yes. Okay. Thank you.

Can I just say, Mayor, just to throw out there, there may be some interest as we're thinking about our legislative agenda, bipartisan interest in taxing those vaping products. So just something to think about, because I suspect that is why the cigarette sales have gone down, is that vaping has skyrocketed.

Moving to our non-local tax revenue, permits and fees, licenses, as well as fines have met or exceeded budget expectations. Overall, non-local taxes revenues are tracking generally in line with prior year actuals. With compared to budget, several categories are reflecting time and differences, and this is in receipt of funding. The next slide presents our prepared food and beverage based sales. Overall, sales continue to show growth when compared to physical year 2025. Through February, food and beverage based sales has increased approximately 2.3 year over year, indicating steady growth. The strongest gains occurred during the first half of the physical year. Please note, March and April base sales figures are still pending from the Commissioner of Revenue's office, and we will have this included in the May financial report.

I think you'll notice that the revenues are down in February, and if everybody puts time together, that's when the... That, but also the Iran war started as well, raising costs and... CONSTRAINING WHAT PEOPLE WILL SPEND ON LUXURIES.

I COULD DO THE MATH MYSELF, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS. you know, when we talk about how we increased the meals tax last year, and what we're seeing is with the additional one and a half percent that we put on it, or 1%, what was it? No, 1%, sorry. Without that increase, I mean, I think in a lot of these, we'd be kind of seeing a similar effect as like our sales tax, where we'd be a little bit more on par with last year, not seeing an increase or in growth if we hadn't increased.

So this figure is like the base sales of the restaurants. So it's not including the additional tax. This is the base sales that the restaurants are reporting that. So there's an increase in the base sales. Yes. This slide continues to highlight monthly prepared food and beverage timeliness discount. The majority of restaurants continue to submit on time. This just again highlights the discount. The city continues to make steady progress in addressing deferred capital maintenance projects. Activities that has occurred are in the following areas. Elevator replacements, our existing obligations are at 1.7. Our current expenditures are at 1.8. HVAC electrical upgrades, our existing obligations are at 781,000 and our current expenditures are at a million. Finance will continue to maintain detailed tracking of deferred capital maintenance expenditures.

And I know a couple times back when I asked on the elevator updates, we had to pay a certain amount up front to the contracted company. Do we have updates on the elevators that are being worked on?

Yes. When I spoke with Mr. Campbell, he believed that we may have them in the fall. Because you remember the size and the scope of our elevators, because they're older, they had to be kind of almost like created.

Right.

So we're hopeful that we'll have them, but they are on order, particularly for this building.

Thank you.

General fund expenditures are approximately tracking at 76% of the annual budget, which is 6.8% below the 83% target benchmark. However, expenditures are expected to remain in line with the budgeted amounts through year end. Our next two slides is overtime and temp wages. Year over year, overtime expenditures has declined by more than $530,000 compared to physical year 2025. While overtime costs have exceeded the annual budget, the increase is largely driven by snow removal operations and staffing limitations in certain departments. Staff will continue to monitor overtime usage closely during the remainder of this physical year.

I will note on these that the previous slides show fiscal year 25 first and then fiscal year 26. These slides show fiscal 26 first and then 25 second. So if you don't catch that, that's why the reduced numbers actually are showing toward the front end of this rather than the tail end.

The city has spent approximately 86% of FY26 temporary wage budget, leaving approximately $467,000 uncommitted funding. While overall spending remains within the total budget, during the remaining two months of the fiscal year, temp wages should not exceed approximately $233,000 in order to remain within the annual budget. Again, please note, temporary wages expenditures exceed budget amounts. Some of those overages may be offset by personnel savings in each department. Are there any questions?

I have a question. Yes. So some of those, especially in overtime and temp services, will get changed at the end of the year when you can move money around from within the department. Do you still do that? Am I correct about that? Yes. That could end up being a lot better for us after we see how June falls out. Absolutely.

Because some departments may have positions that are vacant. Yes, ma'am.

Other questions?

All right. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Harris.

We appreciate it. We'll move next to our items recommended for action. And item A is appropriation and allocation of funding for the Children's Services Act. We have one measure in ordinance, and I'll entertain a motion and second. Move the ordinance. Second. Thank you, Councilmembers Hagan and Vollison. Madam Clerk, will you please read the title paragraph?

An ordinance authorizing the acceptance of state funds. from the Office of Children's Services, authorizing the execution of any required documents on behalf of the city, appropriating funds detailed more fully in front, and dispensing with the second reading of this ordinance by title.

Thank you. Anything you'd like to add, Ms. Turner?

I do. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This item supports the continuation of critical services for vulnerable children and families in our community through the Children's Services Act. The request funding will allow the city to meet its required local match and leverage state funding to provide mandated services and support for eligible youth.

Any questions or comments from members of council? All right. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Mr. Nash.

Aye.

Mr. Follison?

Aye.

Ms. Powers? Aye. Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones?

Aye.

Vice Mayor McGuire?

Aye.

Mayor Cobb?

Aye. And the ordinance is adopted. Now I'll turn to Ms. Turner for any comments you have today.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have two comments today. I'm pleased to share that Fallon Park Pool opened for the season this past weekend, and Washington Park Pool will open on Saturday, June 6th. We look forward to welcoming families and residents throughout the summer and providing safe, enjoyable opportunities for recreation in our community. 2. The New River Conservancy has completed the planting of approximately 175 trees, shrubs, and other native plants to help restore the tree canopy at the former Seabreeze property on Syracuse Avenue NW, adjacent to Lick Run Greenway. In addition to the planting, the conservancy provided soil amendments, compost, which city staff incorporated into the sites to improve soil health and structure and organic content. And that concludes my comments for today, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you. We don't have any reports from the city attorney or the director of real estate evaluation, so we'll turn to reports of committees. And our first item is a report of the Roanoke City School Board requesting appropriation of funds for various educational programs and a report of the city manager recommending that council concur on the request. Before we move on the ordinance, I'll invite our two colleagues who have statements of recusal to share those.

I don't want to but I will.

I, Vivian Sanchez-Jones, state that I have a personal interest in agenda item 8, number 1, relating to the Roanoke City School Board requesting appropriation of funds for various educational programs, because I am an employee of Roanoke City Public Schools, and as an employee, I have a personal interest in this transaction. Therefore, in accordance with Virginia Code section 2.2-3112, I will refrain from participation in this matter. And I ask that the clerk... accept the statement and ask for it that it be made part of the minutes of this meeting.

I Stephen Terry McGuire state that I have a personal interest in agenda item 8 number 1 relating to the Roanoke City School Board requesting appropriation of funds for various educational programs because I am an employee of Roanoke City Public Schools and as an employee I have a personal interest in this transaction therefore in accordance with Virginia Code section 2.2-3112 I will refrain from participation in this matter. I ask that the clerk accept this statement and ask that it be made a part of the minutes of this meeting.

Thank you, Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Sanchez-Jones. This time I'll introduce our budget ordinance and ask for a motion and second. Move the ordinance.

Second.

Thank you, Councilmembers Hagan and Nash. Madam Clerk, if you'll please read the title paragraph.

an ordinance to appropriate funding from the Commonwealth, federal, and private grant for various educational programs, amending and reordaining certain sections of the 2025-2026 school grant fund appropriations for fiscal year 2026, and dispensing with the second reading by title of this ordinance.

Thank you. Any discussion on this item? Madam Clerk, if you'll please call the roll.

Mr. Nash? Aye. Mr. Vollison?

Aye.

Ms. Powers? Aye. Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

And Mayor Cobb?

Aye. And the ordinance is adopted. Thank you. Now, if my colleagues can hear me, I'll invite them back in. Item two is comments on certain authorities, boards, committees, and commissions in which council members serve as liaisons. Do we have any reports today from any members of council? All right. I've already addressed our unfinished business earlier in the meeting. Item nine. So I'll move now to item 10, introduction and consideration of ordinances and resolutions. We do have a walk-on item from one of our closed meetings, and council should have that in front of you on the dais. And I'm going to turn to you, Ms. Craney, or Ms. Turner. So this is, I'll just explain what this is. This is amendment number three to the performance agreement between the City of Roanoke, Economic Development Authority of the City of Roanoke, and various Riverdale ownership entities for development and redevelopment of properties located on a variety of streets at the location in southeast and we do have an ordinance before us and i also know that i see mr nelson here who can answer any questions miss turner is there anything further you would all like to say

This is our continued partnership in Riverdale and Southeast to improve that area. We have been working from a staff perspective, also council as well, with the developers since 2023. And we're excited about moving forward. We're excited about the last announcement with Carilion and Select Clinic moving out in that area. And We're just waiting for all the different prospects that are going to be going out in that area. So this is going to help us kind of get there.

Thank you. All right. Then I'll entertain a motion and a second on the ordinance before us. So moved. Second. Horace. Council Member Allison and Sanchez-Jones. Madam Clerk, I'll ask you to read the title.

paragraph and Ornette's authorizing the proper city officials to execute an amendment number three to an economic development performance agreement Among the city of Roanoke, Virginia the economic development authority of the city of Roanoke, Virginia and Riverdale southeast LLC Riverdale woods LLC industry Drive Partners LLC 802 River Avenue LLC and 826 River Avenue LLC, Riverdale Med 1 LLC, and Riverdale WL LLC, authorizing the city manager or designee to take such actions and execute such documents as may be necessary to provide for the implementation, administration, and enforcement of such Amendment No. 3 and dispensing with the second reading of this ordinance by title.

Thank you. Any comments, questions, or discussion from counsel?

All right.

Madam Clerk, I'll have you please call the roll.

Mr. Nash.

Aye.

Mr. Vollison.

Aye.

Ms. Powers. Aye. Mr. Hagan.

Aye.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones. Aye. Vice Mayor McGuire.

Aye.

And Mayor Cobb.

Aye. And the ordinance is adopted. Thank you all. Item 11 is motions and miscellaneous business. And first I'll ask if there are any inquiries or comments by any members of council. And our final action today we're actually going to split into two different votes we have a number of appointments and reappointments and I'm going to ask vice mayor to read all of the nominees except for the Roanoke Civic Center Commission and then we'll take a separate vote on that because we have a council member that will need to read a statement of recusal so on this first matter after we hear all of the nominees you can simply answer when called on in the roll call all nominees

you approve thank you mayor to the Board of Trustees City of Roanoke pension plan we are City Council is appointing miss Aquinetta Harris to the court community Corrections Program Regional Community Criminal Justice Board Council is appointing Allegra black who will need a residency waiver to the defined contribution board Council is appointing Ms. Aquanetta Harris to that as well. To the Mill Mountain Advisory Board, Council is appointing Catherine Inda. To the Roanoke Arts Commission, Council is reappointing John Hitchens, Megan Sharp, Mary Jean Levin, and John Black. To the Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Center Commission, council is appointing Ms. Aquanetta Harris. Be very busy, busier. To the Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge Board of Directors, council is reappointing Jennifer Eddy, Alison Oakey, and James Smith. And to the Western Virginia's Regional Industrial Facility Authority, council is appointing Mr. Borum Johnson.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Nash. All nominees. Mr. Vollison. All nominees. Ms. Powers. All nominees. Mr. Hagan.

All nominees.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones. All nominees. Vice Mayor McGuire. All nominees. And Mayor Cobb.

All nominees. Thank you. And now I'll ask Ms. Powers if she'll please read her statement.

I, Evelyn W. Powers, state that I have a personal interest in Agenda Item 11, Number 2, relating to vacancies in certain authorities, boards, commissions, and committees appointed by Council. Therefore, in accordance with Virginia Code Section 2.2-3.112, I will refrain from participation in this matter. I ask that the clerk accept this statement and ask that it be made a part of the minutes of this meeting. Witness the following signature made this first day of June 2026. Evelyn W. Powers.

Thank you, Ms. Powers. And now I'll ask Vice Mayor to please share the nomination for the Roanoke Civic Center Commission.

To the Roanoke Civic Center Commission, City Council is appointing Mr. Thomas Powers. He will not need a residency waiver. No, you will not.

All right. And on this, you can just vote aye or nay. Madam Clerk?

Mr. Nash? Aye. Mr. Vollison?

Aye.

Mr. Hagan?

Aye.

Ms. Sanchez-Jones?

Aye.

Vice Mayor McGuire?

Aye.

Mayor Cobb?

Aye. And the nominee is approved. Thank you all. All right. There being no further business set to come before the council, this council meeting is adjourned. Thank you all.