Blacksburg Town Council Meeting: June 28, 2022 - Oath of Office for New Police Chief and Affordable Housing Votes
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Blacksburg Town Council Meeting
Date: June 28, 2022
Time: 6:30 PM – 6:42 PM
Location: Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 S. Main St., Council Chambers
The Blacksburg Town Council met on June 28, 2022 to administer the oath of office to Todd Brewster as the new Chief of Police, vote on affordable housing initiatives funded by ARPA, and approve appointments to citizen boards and committees. The meeting was live-streamed and available on Comcast Channel 2.
Oath of Office – New Police Chief
- Town Manager Marc Verniel introduced Todd Brewster, a 25-year veteran of the Blacksburg Police Department who started as a dispatcher in 1997. Brewster was selected through a national search and will officially become Chief on July 1, 2022, succeeding Chief Wilson.
- Mayor Hager-Smith administered the oath. Brewster expressed gratitude to the Council and community, pledging to build on Chief Wilson’s accomplishments and continue strong relationships with Virginia Tech. He also noted the department’s upcoming internal promotions (deputy chief, captains, lieutenants, sergeants) to be announced at a ceremony the next day.
Consent Agenda
Councilmember Sutphin recused himself from items B, C, and D due to his employment with Community Housing Partners (CHP), which would receive funding. He made disclosures under the Virginia Conflict of Interest Act and abstained from voting on those items.
- Item A: Town Council Minutes (June 14 and June 21, 2022) – Approved unanimously (6-0) via roll call.
- Items B, C, and D (voted together after removal from consent agenda):
- B: Support Agreement between Montgomery County, Town of Blacksburg, and Community Housing Partners for the New River Home Trust (a community land trust).
- C: Resolution 6-E-22 establishing the Blacksburg Affordable Housing Development Fund.
- D: Approval of the Affordable Housing Development Fund Program Description.
- Vote: 5-0 in favor (Sutphin recused). The Mayor explained that these actions were part of organizing the town’s ARPA funds: Blacksburg will receive $13 million in federal ARPA funds, with $4 million dedicated to supporting regional housing initiatives for both town and county residents.
Appointments (Unanimous Approval)
Council approved reappointments and new appointments to nine boards/committees for 2022, including:
- Blacksburg Planning Commission: Tim Colley, Andrew Kassoff, Liam Watson
- Board of Zoning Appeals: Mark Cherbaka
- Business Relations Committee: Cary Hopper, Elizabeth McClanahan, Ryan Stenger
- Corridor Advisory Committee: Erin Ling
- Historic/Design Review Board: Tim Colley, Kay Moody, Kris Toufectis, John Gray Williams
- Housing Advisory Committee: Joyce Graham
- Cemetery Committee: Adam Breske, Latanya Walker
- Recreation Advisory Board: Davis Cirillo
- NRV Regional Water Authority: William Knocke (joint representative)
The Mayor thanked the many citizens who volunteer hundreds of hours of service.
Council Announcements
- Vice Mayor Anderson and Councilmember Colliver noted that June 28 was the last opportunity to wear Pride Month buttons.
- The July 4th celebration was highlighted: parade at 2:00 PM, fireworks at approximately 9:30 PM, with other activities throughout the day.
Key Outcomes
- Oath of Office Administered: Todd Brewster sworn in as Blacksburg Police Chief (effective July 1).
- Minutes Approved: June 14 and June 21, 2022 meeting minutes adopted.
- Affordable Housing Measures Passed: Authorized the Town Manager to sign the New River Home Trust support agreement, adopted Resolution 6-E-22 establishing the Affordable Housing Development Fund, and approved the fund’s program description. All votes were 5-0 (one recusal).
- Board/Committee Appointments Approved: All reappointments and new appointments approved unanimously (6-0).
- Meeting Adjourned at 6:42 PM.
Next Meeting: Town Council Work Session – Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 11:00 AM; Regular Meeting – Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 6:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
That's okay. Will council please come to order? And will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson, present. Bush. Here. Oliver. Here. Lord, not here. Hager Smith. Here. Mattingley? Here. Sutfin. Here. Is this Mike Working? Okay. The next item on the agenda is the administration of the uh oath of office for our new police chief. And Todd, if you'd come forward. Um so Todd Brewster has been named the new Blacksburg Police Chief. He'll take that office officially on uh I guess July first as Chief Wilson um officially retires. So I think it's the first time we've seen Chief Chief Wilson in this room without a uniform on and sitting down in a chair, so usually standing in the back and smiling. Yeah. Um but Todd is a native of Tazwell, Virginia. He's a graduate of Radford University, um, joined the Blacksburg Police Department in ninety-seven as a police as a as a police dispatcher for his first two years. So he's done a lot of different jobs in the department and then two years later became an officer, uh, moved up through the ranks um over the years, uh, most recently as the as a captain um and um went through a process um uh we did a national search um and um pretty intensive process, wasn't it? Yes, sir. Yes, you don't want to go through that again. Um here to stay, yeah. Yeah, so no no more interviews. Um, but he came out um um as the the new chief. So I'd like to congratulate you, Todd, um, and look forward to working with you. And I know Chief Wilson is is is proud, uh kind of a proud papa too to see um Todd be promoted, and then there's a whole host of promotions um that are gonna be happening in the department that uh we have a uh promotion ceremony tomorrow where we'll announce all those different promotions. So um we have a we'll have a new deputy chief as well, um, and then we'll have new captains, new lieutenants, and new sergeants um throughout the whole department. So it's coming from within, yeah, the the the culture of the department is very strong. Um we know Todd and the folks here, the folks in the department will continue that strong culture that's been developed. Um and it's exciting when we promote folks because it it opens up a lot of opportunities for a lot of our younger officers to be able to move up through the ranks. So um we're very excited about that and excited to have Todd as our new chief. So with that, um Beth, if Beth would like to come up and Joel, come on up and you can pin the badge on. Try not to injure him. All right, and the mayor will administer the oath of office. Thank you. If you'll raise your right hand, repeat after me. I Todd Brewster. I Todd Brewster. Do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States. That I will support the Constitution of the United States. And the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia. And that I will faithfully and impartially discharge. I will faithfully and impartially discharge.
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