OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – October 8, 2024

Town Council — Tuesday, October 8, 2024
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, October 8, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 20:00

Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

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

0:23

Anderson present Oliver here.

0:28

Here?

0:29

Mattingley?

0:30

Here.

0:30

Is that Finn?

0:31

Here.

0:31

Watson.

0:32

Present.

0:34

We will move on now.

0:35

Well, to the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:37

Will the uh Vice Mayor please lead us?

0:41

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:46

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:48

One nation under God.

0:51

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:58

We begin tonight with our consent agenda.

1:00

And our first item is approval of the town council minutes for September 17 and 24.

1:08

Ordinance 2030, an ordinance amending town code section 17-400 and adding a new section 17-402 to authorize charges for the use of emergency medical services vehicles.

1:22

We're going to introduce that ordinance and schedule the public hearing.

1:29

Ordinance 2053 to amend the Blacksburg Zoning Ordinance to permit residential development on smaller lots in the R4 district by amending zoning ordinance sections 3040, 3041, and 3042, and adding new zoning ordinance sections 3043 and 3044, and to amend subdivision ordinance section 107.

1:52

We will also have a public hearing on that item November 12th.

2:26

We'll have our public hearing on that November twelfth.

2:30

Resolution 10A24, re referring a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to the planning commission that would establish a new optional downtown northwest zone.

2:54

What is council's pleasure?

2:56

I move approval of the consent agenda.

2:58

Second.

2:59

We have approval and a second.

3:08

Aye.

3:12

Watson?

3:13

Aye.

3:13

Anderson.

3:14

Aye.

3:15

Moving on now to public hearings, and we have one on ordinance twenty sixty, vacating a sanitary sewer easement on land located at 107 Lucas Drive.

3:30

This ordinance vacates an existing sanitary sewer easement that's that is old.

3:35

Um and the conditions when uh the engineering staff went out to examine this for some they're working in the area, they realize that the existing you know, as sometimes happens, the actual pipe is um not within the boundaries of the easement, and they need to also do some reconfiguring reconfiguration because um there's been some erosion of the creek in that area.

4:02

So this will um we're gonna firmly place the the new pipe in an approach to vacate some area that were um not that we don't need, and it's not fair to the landowner to uh is there any public comment on ordinance?

4:30

Wait a second.

4:31

We need a motion, don't we?

4:33

Okay, now you do, yeah.

4:35

Okay, there's no public comment.

4:38

So well is that ring um thank you, Madam Mayor, for inviting me to speak.

4:53

My name is Ackery Weiss, I live in 1711 Whipple Drive.

5:00

So uh the easement is a are you like giving the easement area to the landowner?

5:03

Does the landowner own it?

5:05

Um the pipe uh storm water.

5:12

Could this be something that like we need to consider about like maybe after after removing the area or that has or um putting up I don't know the there's probably you could you could probably get the town of plants from the board birthday last this this year?

5:44

Um I don't know, just some ideas.

5:46

Thank you.

5:47

Thank you.

5:50

Can I answer a few of those yes?

5:53

The landowner is getting some area.

5:58

Well no longer what the town will no longer need, and he's granting it the same be the right area beneficial and that we're gonna part of the project will be um stabilizing the creek, which is eroding uh the creek bed.

6:18

Um so it's um it's good all the way round.

6:23

Great council's pleasure on uh ordinance twenty sixty.

6:31

I move approval of ordinance twenty sixty.

6:33

Second.

6:34

We have a motion and a second.

6:36

Is there any discussion on ordinance twenty org?

6:44

I we go on now to one section of our meeting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████████████████████30%
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████25%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Public Safety███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – October 8, 2024

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on October 8, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting included a consent agenda, a public hearing on a sanitary sewer easement vacation, citizen comments, and updates on the ongoing boil water advisory. All consent agenda items and the public hearing ordinance were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Town Council Minutes: Approved the minutes from September 17 and September 24, 2024.
  • Ordinance 2030 (EMS Transport Charges): Introduced and scheduled for public hearing on November 12, 2024.
  • Ordinance 2053 (Small Lots Amendments in R-4 District): Introduced and scheduled for public hearing on November 12, 2024.
  • Ordinance 2064 (Tax Exemptions for Elderly and Disabled): Introduced and scheduled for public hearing on November 12, 2024.
  • Ordinance 2065 (VT Transit Center Lease): Introduced and scheduled for public hearing on November 12, 2024.
  • Resolution 10-A-24 (Re-referral of Downtown Northwest Zoning District): Approved.
  • HOME Consortium Cooperation Agreement: Authorized the Town Manager to sign.

Public Hearings

Ordinance 2060 – Vacation of Sanitary Sewer Easement at 107 Lucas Drive

  • Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer explained that the ordinance would vacate an existing easement and relocate a pipe to better align with the new easement, including creek stabilization to address erosion.
  • Public Comment: Zachary Weiss of 1711 Whipple Drive asked about erosion prevention measures and the return of easement area to the landowner.
  • Action: Vice Mayor Sutphin moved, Councilmember Anderson seconded, and the ordinance passed unanimously (7-0).

Citizen Comments

  • Zachary Weiss addressed the council regarding the boil water advisory, noting an alleged price increase of at least 1% for a gallon of water. He humorously requested that the town provide residents with a voucher for a “Borg jug” (a blackout rage gallon jug) to meet hydration needs, and he listed numerous puns on the term “Borg.”

Discussion Items

Boil Water Advisory Update (Unfinished Business)

  • Town Manager Marc Verniel reported that the boil water notice for Montgomery County had been lifted in some areas on October 8, 2024, and was projected to be fully lifted for Blacksburg and remaining parts of Christiansburg by Friday, October 11, 2024. He explained the flushing and sanitization process, noting that staff had worked 24/7 since the previous Monday. He also thanked the town, county, and water authority staff for their efforts. Council members praised the complex, coordinated response.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Susan Anderson reminded residents of a community meeting at the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. to gather public input on draft plans for the building.
  • Councilmember Jerry Ford Jr. encouraged early voting, noting that Election Day is in November, and highlighted the importance of civic participation.
  • Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith announced that the regular work session scheduled for October 15, 2024, was canceled due to the Virginia Municipal League conference.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Ordinance 2060 (easement vacation) approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Boil water advisory expected to be lifted by October 11, 2024, with updates to be posted on town social media and the county GIS website.
  • The next regular council meeting is scheduled for October 22, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson present Oliver here. Here? Mattingley? Here. Is that Finn? Here. Watson. Present. We will move on now. Well, to the Pledge of Allegiance. Will the uh Vice Mayor please lead us? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We begin tonight with our consent agenda. And our first item is approval of the town council minutes for September 17 and 24. Ordinance 2030, an ordinance amending town code section 17-400 and adding a new section 17-402 to authorize charges for the use of emergency medical services vehicles. We're going to introduce that ordinance and schedule the public hearing. Ordinance 2053 to amend the Blacksburg Zoning Ordinance to permit residential development on smaller lots in the R4 district by amending zoning ordinance sections 3040, 3041, and 3042, and adding new zoning ordinance sections 3043 and 3044, and to amend subdivision ordinance section 107. We will also have a public hearing on that item November 12th. We'll have our public hearing on that November twelfth. Resolution 10A24, re referring a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to the planning commission that would establish a new optional downtown northwest zone. What is council's pleasure? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have approval and a second. Aye. Watson? Aye. Anderson. Aye. Moving on now to public hearings, and we have one on ordinance twenty sixty, vacating a sanitary sewer easement on land located at 107 Lucas Drive. This ordinance vacates an existing sanitary sewer easement that's that is old. Um and the conditions when uh the engineering staff went out to examine this for some they're working in the area, they realize that the existing you know, as sometimes happens, the actual pipe is um not within the boundaries of the easement, and they need to also do some reconfiguring reconfiguration because um there's been some erosion of the creek in that area. So this will um we're gonna firmly place the the new pipe in an approach to vacate some area that were um not that we don't need, and it's not fair to the landowner to uh is there any public comment on ordinance? Wait a second. We need a motion, don't we? Okay, now you do, yeah. Okay, there's no public comment. So well is that ring um thank you, Madam Mayor, for inviting me to speak. My name is Ackery Weiss, I live in 1711 Whipple Drive. So uh the easement is a are you like giving the easement area to the landowner? Does the landowner own it? Um the pipe uh storm water. Could this be something that like we need to consider about like maybe after after removing the area or that has or um putting up I don't know the there's probably you could you could probably get the town of plants from the board birthday last this this year? Um I don't know, just some ideas. Thank you. Thank you.

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