Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - April 8, 2025
Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - April 8, 2025
The Blacksburg Town Council met at 6:30 p.m. on April 8, 2025, in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting included a public hearing on consolidating erosion and stormwater regulations, introduction of the FY2025/2026 recommended operating budget, and routine approvals. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- Town Council Minutes: Approved minutes from March 11, March 18, and March 25, 2025.
- Ordinance 2069: Introduced an ordinance to waive utility availability fees for affordable housing developments; public hearing scheduled for May 13, 2025.
- Ordinance 2076: Introduced an ordinance adopting the FY2025/2026 budget and real estate tax rate (unchanged at $0.26 per $100 assessed value); public hearing scheduled for May 13, 2025.
- Ordinance 2077: Introduced an ordinance to increase water, sewer, solid waste, and recycling fees; public hearing scheduled for May 13, 2025.
- Resolution 4-B-25: Approved revisions to Section 7.4 of the Town Employee Rules and Regulations.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Javid Torabinejad (address not given): Voiced concerns about raising the water quality disturbance threshold from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet, stating it contradicts the town's comprehensive plan and urged council not to adopt the ordinance.
- Gwyneth Homer (222 Price Street): Raised concerns about water runoff and negative effects on water quality, urging the town to maintain higher standards amid federal rollbacks.
- Caden McNamara (3110 Meadowbrook Drive): Inquired about both environmental and economic impacts of the proposed changes, noting pressure from Virginia Tech's growth.
- Steve Gillespie (201 Fairfax Road): Stated the ordinance primarily benefits developers and asked council to weigh environmental effects more heavily.
Discussion Items
- Consolidation of Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulations (Ordinance 2061 A, B, C): Town Engineer Kafi Howard presented the staff recommendation to adopt a consolidated ordinance required by the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Act. Key changes include raising the post-development water quality control threshold from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet (while erosion/sediment and water quantity controls remain at 5,000 sq ft), adding an exception for one duplex outside a common plan, and extending agreements in lieu of plan provisions to one duplex inside a common plan. The ordinance will be effective July 1, 2025. Council discussed the balance between environmental protection and development flexibility, noting that small sites often buy nutrient credits rather than providing on-site benefits. The town remains more stringent than the state's 43,000 sq ft threshold.
- Introduction of FY2025/2026 Recommended Operating Budget: Town Manager Marc Verniel presented the $108 million total budget (approx. 3% increase overall, 5% increase excluding capital). The general fund is $53.4 million (4% increase). Property tax rate remains at $0.26 per $100. Notable items: funding for affordable housing fee waivers, New River Valley Passenger Rail Authority station construction, emergency services radio system, behavioral health co-response program, St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall restoration ($187,000), skate park expansion, zoning ordinance rewrite, and continued transition to electric buses. Utility rates: water and sewer up 5%, solid waste up 3.7% (about $1.17/month), stormwater unchanged. Average utility bill increase of about $6/month for a family using 6,000 gallons. New positions added in finance, transit, and parks and recreation. Budget schedule: public hearing May 13, adoption May 27.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (6-0).
- Ordinance 2061 (A, B, C): Approved unanimously (6-0) to adopt the consolidated erosion and stormwater management ordinance, effective July 1, 2025.
- Appointment of Captain J. Teubert: Approved unanimously as town representative to the New River Valley Alcohol Safety Awareness Program.
- Upcoming Meetings: Work session April 15, 2025; regular meeting April 22, 2025; public hearings on May 13, 2025 for the budget and other ordinances.
Council Announcements
- Vice Mayor Sutphin noted proclamations signed by the Mayor: Arbor Day (April 26) and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 13-19).
- Councilmember Colliver announced the annual Take Back the Night rally at Virginia Tech on April 10, 2025 (7 p.m., outdoor stage at College Avenue, or Graduate Life Center if raining).
- Councilmember Anderson announced the town is accepting public comments on the 2025 Annual Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan for HUD affordable housing programs, with a public hearing on April 16, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
I guess the only other ones that I know of were Michael Michael. Michael Ron. Will the council come to order? And will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson present. Oliver, here. Board? Here. Hanger Smith is absent. Mattingley? Here. Sutfin? Here. Watson. President. We'll start with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Councilman Watson will be leading us in the pledge. I pledge the allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We will start tonight with the consent agenda. We have several items on the consent agenda. Item A is the town council minutes for March 11th, March 18th, and March 25th of this year. Item B is ordinance 2069, an ordinance to amend the town code sections 18109 and 24306 and add new town code sections eighteen one oh nine point one and twenty-four three zero six point one pertaining to waiving utility availability fees for affordable housing developments. We'll be introducing the ordinance tonight on scheduling a public hearing for May 13th. Item C is ordinance twenty seventy-six, an ordinance adopting the budget for the town of Blacksburg, Virginia for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2025, and ending June 30th, 2026, adopting the real estate tax rate and appropriating funds for the fiscal year. We'll again be introducing the ordinance and scheduling the public hearing for May 13th. Item D is ordinance twenty seventy-seven. This is an ordinance amending Blacksburg Town Code sections eighteen four hundred, twenty two oh six, and twenty-four six oh one to increase fees for water and sewer services and solid waste and recycling fees. Uh, we'll be introducing that ordinance and scheduling the public hearing for May 13th. And the final item is item E, which is resolution 4B 25, a resolution approving revisions to section 7.4 of the Town of Blacksburg employee rules and regulations, and we will be approving that tonight. What is council's pleasure on the consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Oliver. Aye. Addingly. Sutfin? Aye. Watson. I. Anderson. Aye. We're now in the public hearing section of the meeting. Um we have um essentially one public hearing but three sections for it. This is for the consolidation of the erosion and stormwater management regulations. Um this includes ordinance 2061 A, an ordinance to repeal existing town code, sections 10100 through 10 to 13. Pertaining to erosion and sediment control regulations is part of adopting a new consolidated erosion and stormwater management ordinance.
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