OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Blacksburg, Virginia/Town Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - May 14, 2024

Town Council — Tuesday, May 14, 2024
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, May 14, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:35

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:42

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll?

0:47

Anderson present.

0:48

Oliver here.

0:49

Or Hager Smith.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Mattingley?

0:52

Here.

0:53

Set Finn?

0:53

Here.

0:54

Watson.

0:54

President.

0:55

Will the uh Vice Mayor please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

1:01

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic.

1:12

Individual liberty and justice for all.

1:19

We begin tonight with the consent agenda.

1:22

And that starts with approval of town council minutes for April 9, April 16, and April 23.

1:31

We have also ordinance 2056 to authorize the use of photo speed monitoring devices in school crossing zones by adding new section 12-11 to the town code.

1:44

We're going to introduce that tonight, and we're scheduling our public hearing for June 11.

1:51

We have a Blacksburg Transit Substance Abuse Policy.

1:55

We're approving it this evening.

1:57

A resolution 5A24 supporting Virginia Department of Transportation's smart scale application for fiscal year 2026.

2:06

And we will approve that as well.

2:08

What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda?

2:12

I move that we approve the consent agenda.

2:14

Second.

2:15

We have a motion and a second.

2:16

Will the clerk please call the roll?

2:18

Oliver?

2:19

Aye.

2:19

Ford?

2:20

Aye.

2:20

Anger Smith.

2:21

Aye.

2:22

Mattingley.

2:23

Aye.

2:23

Sutton?

2:24

Aye.

2:24

Watson.

2:25

Aye.

2:25

Anderson.

2:26

Aye.

2:27

We have public hearings this uh we have no public hearings this evening.

2:31

Um, and so I am going to have a short reading myself here to introduce our citizen comment section.

2:40

Quite a few of you are here, I think, for um the free Gaza uh group that assembled outside a few minutes ago, but not all of you.

2:49

So there is more than one topic on people's minds tonight, and I want us to be plain about that.

2:54

There's always an opportunity for disagreement in a free society, and there might be some tonight.

3:01

I ask that you not applaud or snap your fingers, boo, or do any other demonstrative act as that could distract or intimidate someone who wants to speak.

3:13

We can disagree on issues, topics, and the like, but please show respect for one another as we disagree.

3:20

And if someone should yell from the audience or otherwise interrupt the meeting, I'm going to give a warning to stop.

3:26

And if it continues, those interrupting may be asked to leave the building, and if necessary, to be escorted out.

3:34

And then we'll have a recess.

3:36

So that will be our protocol for this evening.

3:39

And at that, I will invite anyone who would like to speak on any topic to come forward.

3:45

You don't have to be a uh resident of the town of Blacksburg.

3:50

Uh, but I would like you to begin by stating your name and your address uh plainly so that our clerk can record that.

3:59

And with that we can begin.

4:04

Please come forward.

4:17

Evidently, some of you know who I am.

4:20

Um for those that don't, my name is James Andrew Thomas Earthman.

4:25

And I'm a resident of Eggleston, Virginia presently.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
International Relations███████████████████████████████31%
Public Safety██████████████████18%
Urban Planning█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████12%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Emergency Management███████7%
Education███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - May 14, 2024

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on May 14, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, citizen comments on various topics including a police complaint, a Gaza ceasefire resolution, address identification in a new development, and support for photo speed enforcement, followed by a proclamation and council announcements.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from April 9, April 16, and April 23, 2024.
  • Introduced Ordinance 2056 to authorize photo speed monitoring devices in school crossing zones, scheduling a public hearing for June 11, 2024.
  • Approved the Blacksburg Transit Substance Abuse Policy.
  • Approved Resolution 5-A-24 supporting VDOT's Smart Scale application for FY2026.
  • Vice Mayor Sutphin moved, Councilmember Anderson seconded; motion passed unanimously on a roll call vote (7-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • James Earthman (Eggleston) alleged that two Blacksburg police officers violated his civil rights and maliciously prosecuted him for disorderly conduct; the charge was dismissed by a judge. He stated he had emailed council about the grievance.
  • Susan DeLay (302 Cherokee Drive), representing a group calling itself "The People of Blacksburg," called for a ceasefire resolution on Gaza. She stated the group had collected over 450 digital and at least 50 physical signatures on a petition, but council had not called a vote. She noted that since the initial presentation on March 12, 2024, Palestinian deaths had increased from 31,184 to at least 34,904 and injuries from 72,889 to 78,514. The group then left the chambers to hold a "first people's council" outside.
  • Dustin Kaufman (Christiansburg resident, postal employee; identified as Dustin Crawford in the transcript) raised concerns about duplicate house numbers in the new West Hill development in Montgomery County, which could cause confusion for emergency services. He requested better communication between developers, the county, and the post office. Town staff indicated they would follow up.
  • Charles Schade (401 Clairmont Drive) expressed strong support for Ordinance 2056 (photo speed cameras), citing research showing they reduce speeds and crashes. He also expressed distress over the situation in Palestine and encouraged council to find a constructive way to engage. Mayor Hager-Smith responded, noting that council had issued a statement and sent letters to federal and state representatives.
  • James Hardell (233 Price Street) shared a 2006 article by Charles Krauthammer arguing that Israel has offered a Palestinian state four times and was refused, and criticized ceasefire advocates for not acknowledging the October 7 Hamas attack.
  • Waverly Evans (205 Franklin Drive) voiced disagreement with prior speakers advocating for a ceasefire, stating he was the person accused of Islamophobia in a previous meeting. He argued that the U.S. has representation while Gaza does not since Hamas was elected, and that the group does not speak for all Blacksburg citizens.

Proclamation

  • Mayor Hager-Smith read a proclamation declaring May 19–25, 2024, as Emergency Medical Services Week, recognizing the contributions of EMS providers.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Colliver congratulated high school graduates and noted downtown parking availability.
  • Councilmember Mattingly announced upcoming improvements (facelift) to the Draper Road area, expected to begin in the coming weeks.
  • Councilmember Anderson mentioned the Toms Creek Basin stakeholder process, which will study future development possibilities while maintaining rural character; a 12-month process with multiple citizen input opportunities.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Ordinance 2056 introduced and scheduled for public hearing on June 11, 2024.
  • Proclamation for EMS Week read and acknowledged.
  • No vote was taken on a Gaza ceasefire resolution; council had previously issued a statement and escalated concerns to federal and state officials.
  • Staff will follow up on the address duplication issue with Montgomery County and the post office.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m.

Note: The speaker who raised address concerns is recorded as Dustin Kaufman in the minutes and as Dustin Crawford in the transcript.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson present. Oliver here. Or Hager Smith. Here. Mattingley? Here. Set Finn? Here. Watson. President. Will the uh Vice Mayor please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic. Individual liberty and justice for all. We begin tonight with the consent agenda. And that starts with approval of town council minutes for April 9, April 16, and April 23. We have also ordinance 2056 to authorize the use of photo speed monitoring devices in school crossing zones by adding new section 12-11 to the town code. We're going to introduce that tonight, and we're scheduling our public hearing for June 11. We have a Blacksburg Transit Substance Abuse Policy. We're approving it this evening. A resolution 5A24 supporting Virginia Department of Transportation's smart scale application for fiscal year 2026. And we will approve that as well. What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda? I move that we approve the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Oliver? Aye. Ford? Aye. Anger Smith. Aye. Mattingley. Aye. Sutton? Aye. Watson. Aye. Anderson. Aye. We have public hearings this uh we have no public hearings this evening. Um, and so I am going to have a short reading myself here to introduce our citizen comment section. Quite a few of you are here, I think, for um the free Gaza uh group that assembled outside a few minutes ago, but not all of you. So there is more than one topic on people's minds tonight, and I want us to be plain about that. There's always an opportunity for disagreement in a free society, and there might be some tonight. I ask that you not applaud or snap your fingers, boo, or do any other demonstrative act as that could distract or intimidate someone who wants to speak. We can disagree on issues, topics, and the like, but please show respect for one another as we disagree. And if someone should yell from the audience or otherwise interrupt the meeting, I'm going to give a warning to stop. And if it continues, those interrupting may be asked to leave the building, and if necessary, to be escorted out.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com