MINUTES
WARSAW TOWN COUNCIL-REGULAR MEETING
78 BELLE VILLE LANE, WARSAW VA 22572
JUNE 09, 2016 – 7:00 P.M.
The regular meeting of Warsaw Town Council was held Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at 78 Belle Ville Lane, Warsaw, VA 22572. Vice-Mayor Yackel called the meeting to order and led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. Council members present were Paul G. Yackel, Ogle E. Forrest, Ralph W. Self, Rebecca C. Hubert, Roger R. Lee, Randall L. Phelps and William L Washington, IV. Council-elect members present were Mathieu W. Sisk and Faron H. Hamblin. Mark E. Milstead was absent. Vice-Mayor Yackel noted the microphone system was not working and apologized for the inconvenience.
Staff present was Interim Town Manager Lee H. Capps, Interim Police Chief Joan N. Kent, Officer Miles W. Turner and Administrative Assistant Linda S. Holsinger. Town Attorney William L. Lewis was also present.
Others present were Chairman of Richmond County Board of Supervisors Lee Sanders, Richmond County Administrator Morgan Quicke, Supervisor Robert Pemberton, Northern Neck Regional Jail Superintendent Ted Hull, Larry Thorn, John Magruder, Mary Beth Bryant, Darleen Nichols, Nathan Thompson and Amanda Chisholm of the Northern Neck News.
NOTHERN NECK TOURISM COUNCIL-LISA HULL
Lisa Hull thanked Council for their continued support and gave a brief overview. She went on to explain some of the ways they support tourism in the Northern Neck. They are a public/private entity serving five counties consisting of King George, Lancaster, Westmoreland, Richmond and Northumberland. She provided pamphlets on historic places of interest in the counties served and bicycle, wine and artisan trails in the Northern Neck. She advised the welcome center in King George has reopened under the name of Dahlgren Heritage Museum. They are open five days a week and are the only certified welcome center in Virginia. Paul Yackel then presented the town’s contribution check in the amount of $1,200.00 to Lisa Hull.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 12, 2016
Vice-Mayor Yackel asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of May, 12, 2016. Councilman Lee moved to approve the minutes of the May 12, 2016 as presented. Councilman Forrest seconded and the motion carried with the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
Minutes-WTC
June 9, 2016 – Page 1 of 7
FINANCIAL REPORT – MAY 2016
Vice-Mayor Yackel asked if there were any questions on the Financial Report for May
2016. Councilman Phelps moved to accept the Financial Report for May 2016 as presented. Councilman Lee seconded and the motion passed with the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
MAYOR’S REPORT
Vice-Mayor Yackel welcomed new members Mathieu Sisk and Faron Hamblin and advised them there is an upcoming conference presented by the Virginia Municipal League Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 for new members. Most of the Council Members here have attended it in the past and found it to be very helpful and informative. He further advised the town would pay all the cost if they are interested in attending.
He noted there are two events coming up at the Warsaw Town Park. 1) The Warsaw Richmond County Main Street program will be presenting Movie Under the Moon Friday, June 10th at 8:45 p.m. The featured movie is The Sandlot. The Bank of Lancaster will be providing popcorn. Admission is free.
2) There will be an Art Exhibit entitled The Great Reveal. The opening ceremony will be Friday, June 17 at 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 pm sharp. The exhibit will continue daily through July 17, 2016 to promote local artist.
MANAGERS REPORT
* FY15 Audit Update: The Town Manager advised he has spoken to Andrew with the audit firm of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates regarding the Audit for FY2015 which has yet to be received. Andrew advised it is almost complete and we should have the report in the next week to week and a half.
* Search for Class 2 Operator: The Town Manager advised that Lee Ambrose currently holds a Class 3 Wastewater License and will be sitting for the Class 2 License on Wednesday. He will also be sitting for the Class 5 Water License in the near future.
*Downtown Revitalization Project: The Town Manager and Councilman Self met with Neal Barber regarding the Marketing Agreement in the amount of $20,000 as shown in Section 3. Compensation in the Contract for Professional Services with PMA Architecture. Councilman Phelps moved to approve the agreement with PMA Architecture in the amount of $20,000 and authorize the Town Manager to sign the agreement. The motion was seconded by Councilman
Minutes – WTC
June 9, 2016 – Page 2 of 7
Forrest and passed with the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
TOWN ATTORNEY’S REPORT
William L. Lewis stated he has enjoyed working with the town. We have made a lot of progress together the last few years. There is obviously more to do but we have definitely made a lot of progress. Council should be proud of all the accomplishments we have made.
POLICE REPORT
Chief Kent noted the police report is in the packet and she will be glad to answer any questions. There were seventy-five calls for service shown. The report is incomplete as it only shows the calls generated from the Richmond County Sheriff’s office. It does not include the calls from this office. Once we get the passwords reset here we will be able to give a complete report.
Chief Kent attended several events within the last month as noted below.
5/05/16-Meeting with the other Police Chiefs and Sheriffs of surrounding counties hosted by the Town of Tappahannock.
5/07/16-Assisted with Poker Run for Local Food Bank.
5/10/16-Attended Sexual Assault Response Team meeting with CA, Sheriff’s office, The Haven & Social Services.
5/16/16-Attended the first meeting for this year’s Christmas Parade held at Al Pugh Distributing.
5/23/16-Attended The Richmond County Crime Stopper’s meeting to help raise money for their annual event. She agreed to contribute $100.00 from the police budget to assist them.
5/30/16-She & Officer Turner attended the William A. Jones, III Dedication Ceremony.
6/05/16-The WPD assisted Rappahannock Church of Christ with the Josh Baughan Ride-In and also assisted with the annual Naylor’s Beach Triathlon.
NORHTERN NECK REGIONAL JAIL REPORT
*Morgan Quicke introduced Ted Hull, Superindent of the NNRJ to have him explain where the jail is in bringing Gloucester County aboard as a member. This will greatly benefit the NNRJ and the Town of Warsaw. Recently there has been a decline in federal prisoners that has had a negative impact on the jail’s operation budget and has also adversely affected the Town of Warsaw thru decreased water & sewer usage. Currently the jail in Gloucester has an average population of about 120 prisoners. This is more than the three other counties combined. Negotiations are continuing but the Gloucester deal if approved will hopefully allow the jail to continue to operate without having to charge the counties for housing their prisoners.
Minutes-WTC
June 9, 2016 -Page 3 of 7
*Larry Thorn: This past month there were a total of 303 prisoners housed at the NNRJ. The breakdown is as follows: 160 Federal Prisoners, 35 from Northumberland County, 17 from Richmond County, 85 from Westmoreland County and 6 as other. The jail is in pretty good shape with good news on the horizon.
*Morgan Quicke advised with the negotiations with Gloucester County a new Service Agreement is being drafted. Currently the voting members have the following votes; Westmoreland County 3, Northumberland County 2, Richmond County 2 and the Town of Warsaw 1. In the new proposal they would like all of the counties to have an equal 3 votes each. Richmond County would like the Town of Warsaw to remain on the board but to relinquish their 1 vote otherwise Richmond County would still have 2 votes and the Town of Warsaw 1 vote in financial matters facing the NNRJ. Councilman Phelps stated he feels it is inappropriate and a power grab for them to ask the town to give up their vote and he is not in agreement with it. Councilman Self, Councilman Lee and Councilman Washington concurred. The general consensus was that the Town has been involved in this from the very beginning and we had to make improvements to our system in order to serve the jail’s water & sewer needs so we should not lose our vote. Mr. Quicke agreed the town did have some initial cost but all the cost with the building of the jail and all subsequent improvements have been the financial responsibility of the3 counties involved. Vice-Mayor Yackel said while it is true the Town had some initial cost to provide water and sewer but other than that he knows of no cost to the town and as long as we still have a voice on the board he is not sure what we’re giving up. He noted what’s good for Richmond County is good for Warsaw and vice versa. He feels we need to discuss this some more before we make a decision. Mr. Quicke stated no decision has to be made tonight and asked Council to think about it and discuss it and he will return when he has a more defined agreement to bring before the Town Council.
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT
Chairman Washington reported the Planning Commission went over the Comprehensive Plan and discussed their vision for the Town of Warsaw especially in regards to the zoning areas and a regional map of the Town of Warsaw.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Personnel Committee: Councilman Phelps stated there were 26 applications for the Chief of Police position. The applications have been split up between the 4 members of the Committee until each member has reviewed all applications. We have a pretty good group of candidates and will be holding another meeting soon. We also have 25 resumes for the position of Town Manager with 7 extremely qualified individuals. The Committee hopes to have something to bring to Council at the next meeting.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There were no items to be discussed under unfinished business.
Minutes-WTC
June 9, 2016-Page 4 of 7
NEW BUSINESS
* THREE RIVERS FORESTRY – CONTRACT
John Magruder said the thinning of the Strawberry Hill Tract adjacent to the Treatment plant has been a good and profitable venture for the Town of Warsaw. The property is ready to be burned over so it can be replanted. There is an agreement in the amount of $7,280.00 that needs to be signed tonight so he can proceed. Councilman Forrest moved to approve the contract for the burning agreement and authorize the Town Manager to sign the contract. The motion was seconded by Councilman Lee and carried by the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
*SOUTH PAW FOREST PRODUCTS – LOGGING CONTRACT
John Magruder reported there is about twenty 20 acres left to be thinned and reforested. But Southpaw Forest Products is not interested in something that small. The other companies he has contacted to so far are not interested in something that small either. He will continue to look into other companies that may be interested in completing the thinning of the remaining acres and get back to us when he has something to report.
MAYOR ELECTION – TERM BEGINNING JULY 1, 2016
Vice-Mayor Yackel called for nominations for Mayor. Councilman Forrest nominated Paul Yackel for Mayor for the term beginning July 1, 2016. Councilman Lee nominated Randall Phelps for Mayor for the term beginning July 1, 2016. Paul Yackel noted there are two nominations and asked they signify their vote by raising their hands. Randall L. Phelps was elected to serve as Mayor for the term beginning July 1, 2016 by the following votes.
*Paul Yackel for Mayor received the following 2 votes.
Ogle E Forrest, Sr. Paul G. Yackel
*Randall Phelps received the following 6 votes.
Roger R. Lee Randall L. Phelps
Ralph W. Self Rebecca C. Hubert
Mathieu W. Sisk Faron H. Hamblin
VICE-MAYOR ELECTION-TERM BEGINNING JULY 1, 2016
Councilman Lee nominated Paul Yackel to serve as Vice-Mayor for the term beginning July 1, 2016. There were no other nominations for Vice-Mayor. Paul Yackel asked they signify their vote by raising their hands. Paul Yackel was elected to serve as Vice-Mayor for the term beginning July 1, 2016 by the following votes.
Minutes – WTC
June 9, 2016 – Page 5 of 7
Roger R. Lee Randall L. Phelps
Ralph W. Self Rebecca C. Hubert
Paul G. Yackel Ogle E. Forrest, Sr.
Mathieu W. Sisk Faron H. Hamblin
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Councilman Self said he is ready to welcome summer and enjoy coffee on his front porch watching the humming birds and purple martins that have returned. He welcomed Mathieu Sisk and Faron Hamblin and said he is looking forward to working with them and the existing council.
Councilman Phelps stated it has been a pleasure working with Bill Lewis and wished him the best in his new career as judge. He congratulated Roger Lee on becoming a new granddaddy. He welcomed the new members to council and congratulated the Rappahannock Raiders baseball team on becoming state champions.
Councilman Washington stated he is honored to have been the first African American to serve on town council. He feels he is an optimist and that he contributed some good ideas during his time serving. He hopes council will continue work to bring new businesses to Warsaw and work on improving internet service to the area. He feels it is important to partner with the Northern Neck Tourism Council and the YMCA to bring in business and support our youth. He is glad to see the support for our local baseball and tennis teams.
Councilman Forrest stated he has enjoyed working with William and Mark during their time on council and wishes them the best. He congratulated Bill Lewis on his appointment to judge. He said he is glad to have Mathieu and Faron on board and congratulated Randy and Paul on their elections to Mayor and Vice-Mayor.
Councilman Lee congratulated Mayor Phelps and Vice-Mayor Yackel and welcomed Mathieu and Faron aboard. He also wished Bill Lewis well in the next stage of his career. The town is booming and good things are happening with the Main Street project. Things are looking good. He congratulated the Raiders baseball and tennis teams on their success and stated he’d like to see us host the championship next year.
Town Manager Lee Capps noted Susan Pemberton, Clerk was absent tonight because her daughter Connor was at Radford playing in the State Tennis Doubles Championship. He also noted Councilman Self’s nephew was playing with the Rappahannock baseball team as they too are playing for the state championship
Minutes – WTC
June 9, 2016 – Page 6 of 7
CLOSED SESSION
Councilman Forrest moved to convene in closed session as permitted by Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (A) (3) relating to real property. The motion was seconded by Councilman Washington and passed with the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Herbert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
Councilman Forrest moved to reconvene in regular session and Council certified by roll call vote, that in the closed session just concluded, nothing was discussed except the matter identified in the motion to convene in closed session and lawfully permitted to be so discussed under the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act cited in the motion. Councilman Washington seconded the motion. The following are the roll call votes taken.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee
Councilman Phelps made the motion to proceed with the matters discussed in the just concluded closed session and authorize the Town Manager to enter into negotiations and sign any documents related to it. The motion was seconded by Councilman Forrest and passed with the following votes.
Ralph W. Self Aye William L. Washington, IV Aye
Randall L. Phelps Aye Rebecca C. Hubert Aye
Paul G. Yackel Aye Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye
Roger R. Lee Aye
There bring no further business, the meet was adjourned by Vice-Mayor Yackel at 9:21 p.m..
By: _______________________________________
Linda S. Holsinger, Administrative Assistant
Minutes – WTC
June 9, 2016 – Page 7 of 7