OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – January 28, 2025

Town Council — Tuesday, January 28, 2025
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, January 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 13:22

Transcript — Verbatim
0:38

Will council please come to order?

0:40

And will the clerk please call the roll?

0:42

Anderson, present.

0:44

Oliver?

0:44

Here.

0:45

Ford?

0:45

Here.

0:46

Hager Smith.

0:47

Here.

0:47

Addingly?

0:48

Here.

0:48

Is that Finn?

0:49

Here.

0:49

Watson.

0:50

Present.

0:51

We'll begin this evening with the consent agenda, and that consists of two items.

0:58

Approval of the town council minutes for January 7.

1:02

And also the 2025 Blacksburg legislative priorities.

1:06

What is council's pleasure to do with our consent agenda?

1:09

I move that we approve the consent agenda.

1:12

Second.

1:14

We have a motion and a second.

1:15

Will the clerk please call the roll?

1:17

Colliver?

1:17

Aye.

1:18

Ford?

1:19

Aye.

1:19

Hager Smith.

1:20

Aye.

1:20

Mattingley?

1:21

Hi.

1:23

Watson.

1:23

Hi.

1:24

Anderson.

1:25

Aye.

1:25

We have no public hearings this evening.

1:29

So I will open it up to citizen comments.

1:35

Are there any citizens here today who would like to make comments?

1:44

Okay.

1:44

This could be on the topic of your choice.

2:09

Please let us have your name and address.

2:11

And uh you've been here before, so you know there's a timer, and it'll go three minutes.

2:16

My name is Don Uppman.

2:18

I'm currently living in a motor home in Christiansburg.

2:22

I'm looking for a house in Blacksburg where I formerly was professional faculty at Virginia Tech.

2:30

I comment is from the Bible.

2:40

The Lord is the strength of my life.

2:43

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2:45

When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.

2:52

Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.

2:57

Though war may rise against me in this, I will be confident.

3:08

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

3:12

And behold the beauty of the Lord.

3:15

To inquire of his temple.

3:17

For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion.

3:22

In the secret place of his tabernacle.

3:30

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me.

3:35

Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy to in his tabernacles.

3:41

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

3:45

Here, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy upon me and answer me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████████39%
Capital Improvement Planning██████████████████████22%
Federal Funding██████████████████████22%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – January 28, 2025

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on January 28, 2025, at the Blacksburg Municipal Building. The meeting included approval of consent agenda items, citizen comments, adoption of the Capital Improvement Program, discussion of a federal assistance freeze, and a work session on strategic goals.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the Town Council minutes from January 7, 2025.
  • Approved the 2025 Blacksburg Legislative Priorities.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Don Eppel, a resident of Christiansburg, read a passage from the Bible (Psalm 27) to Council.

Discussion Items

  • Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Adoption (Resolution 1-C-25): Mayor Hager-Smith acknowledged concerns raised by Dr. Charles Shade in a public comment regarding the proposed downtown parking garage, including questions about need, cost, and a preference for housing downtown instead. The Mayor shared some of these concerns but emphasized the need for nimble problem-solving and balancing priorities. Councilmember (likely Anderson) requested additional parking utilization data be gathered before the project moves forward, as it is an out-year expenditure. Town Manager Marc Verniel agreed to update parking counts and provide data. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
  • Federal Assistance Freeze: Councilmember Liam Watson asked about the potential impact of the federal assistance freeze announced by the Trump administration on town projects, particularly transit and housing. Town Manager Marc Verniel explained that the situation was uncertain but noted that a federal judge had blocked the freeze. He outlined that the town's main federal funding sources are housing (CDBG, HOME) and transit (via DRPT). ARPA funding was deemed safe, though indirect impacts on housing projects were possible. He also noted that Virginia Tech, as a major research institution, could be affected. Council directed staff to provide updates as more information becomes available.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Susan Anderson reminded citizens of the upcoming Virginia Municipal League Legislative Day in Richmond on Thursday, where councilmembers would advocate for Blacksburg's priorities.

Work Session

  • Strategic Goals Update: Deputy Town Manager Matt Hanratty presented an update on 57 projects stemming from the Council's strategic goals, covering expansion of recreation opportunities, downtown and economic development, transportation, community wellbeing and engagement, housing, and communications. Council had no questions.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Resolution 1-C-25 adopting the CIP for FY2025/26-2029/30 approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Staff directed to provide parking utilization data for the downtown garage project.
  • Council will receive further updates on the federal assistance freeze situation.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order? And will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson, present. Oliver? Here. Ford? Here. Hager Smith. Here. Addingly? Here. Is that Finn? Here. Watson. Present. We'll begin this evening with the consent agenda, and that consists of two items. Approval of the town council minutes for January 7. And also the 2025 Blacksburg legislative priorities. What is council's pleasure to do with 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? Colliver? Aye. Ford? Aye. Hager Smith. Aye. Mattingley? Hi. Watson. Hi. Anderson. Aye. We have no public hearings this evening. So I will open it up to citizen comments. Are there any citizens here today who would like to make comments? Okay. This could be on the topic of your choice. Please let us have your name and address. And uh you've been here before, so you know there's a timer, and it'll go three minutes. My name is Don Uppman. I'm currently living in a motor home in Christiansburg. I'm looking for a house in Blacksburg where I formerly was professional faculty at Virginia Tech. I comment is from the Bible. The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.

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