Minutes 05/07/1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1998 A special meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia, with Mayor George B. Adams, Jr. presiding, was held Thursday, May 7, 1998, in the Council Chamber, City Hall, beginning at 9:00 A.M. The purpose of the special meeting was to hear presentations from various City Departments, Constitutional Officers and Agencies on their budget requests relative to Council's overall Budget discussions. The following members of Council were ilresent: George B. Adams, Jr., Mayor; Dr. Mark A. Crabtree, Vice- Mayor, Bruce H. T. Dallas, Elizabeth H. Haskell, M. Gene Teague. The first departmental budget on the Agenda for discussion was that of Public Works. Items covered within this discussion included projected curb and gutter work for FY 98-99, staffing challenges, use and recovery of costs of prison labor, and equipment rental costs. Earl B. Reynolds, Jr., City Manager, noted that the issue of curb and gutter work was one of great interest in many neighborhoods, but that some do not want it at all. He also noted that the cost to do such work varied significantly depending on the area in which it is done. Consequently, he stated, although a list focusing on such areas for work could be developed the costs to follow through would be very high. Mr. Reynolds noted that a twelve year schedule of curb and gutter work in such areas had been created in 1992, which had provided for 9,000 to 10,000 linear feet of work per year. He recalled that the City had completed about seven years of the schedule and stopped due to the high cost involved. Council Member Haskell suggested that it might be good to hold a work session on this subject. Mayor Adams agreed, but suggested that if Council wished to accomplish more curb and gutter work the basis of a five-year list of additional work was already available from the unfinished work of the previous plan. Leon Towamicki, Director of Public Works, stated that Council might wish to consider the fact that the previous curb and gutter program had been funded completely through the City, with no provision for sharing of costs with the residents of the neighborhoods. Council Member Teague then suggested that the idea of a shared funding formula might be considered as a policy issue. Mr. Reynolds agreed that a work session would be a good idea, and suggested that another policy issue to consider was whether such work should be done for cosmetic or esthetic reasons versus water and drainage control. Vice-Mayor Crabtree