Blacksburg Town Council Work Session - September 27, 2024

The Blacksburg Town Council held a work session at the Blacksburg Motor Company (400 S. Main St.) on the morning of the meeting date. Attendees included Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, Vice Mayor Michael Sutphin, Councilmembers Susan Anderson, Lauren Colliver, Jerry Ford Jr., and Liam Watson; Councilmember Susan Mattingly was absent. Also attending were Town Manager Marc Verniel, Town Attorney Lawrence S. Spencer, and Town Clerk Lorraine S. Spaulding. The session included a briefing on a boil water notice, three formal agenda items, and a staff exchange. No formal votes were taken; the meeting was adjourned at 12:43 p.m. Note: The official agenda and minutes list the meeting date as October 1, 2024, while the meeting timestamp provided with the source material is September 27, 2024; the summary below reflects the agenda and minutes content.

Boil Water Notice Briefing

• Town Manager Marc Verniel and Engineering Director Carolyn Howard provided an overview of a boil water notice issued by the Virginia Department of Health.
• The notice advises residents to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking as a safety precaution due to historic flooding on the New River.
• Town staff is coordinating with the County and surrounding localities to sanitize and flush the water systems in Blacksburg; the notice is expected to remain in effect for several days.

Emergency Medical Services Revenue Recovery Update

• Blacksburg Rescue Chief David English described a proposed ordinance to establish a fee for EMS medical transportation.
• English reported that surrounding localities already have this fee system in place and have had it for several years.
• He argued that the revenue recovery program is needed to cover increasing costs and a growing call volume.
• He stated that the program could cover roughly 40% of the Rescue budget.

Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Management Consolidated Ordinance Briefing

• Engineering Director Carolyn Howard outlined a proposed ordinance consolidating stormwater ordinance provisions with erosion and sediment control provisions.
• Howard reviewed the most significant changes, including areas where the Town would adopt stricter regulations than state law requires.

Proposed Lease of Space at Transit Center to Virginia Tech

• Blacksburg Transit Director Brian Booth reviewed a proposed lease with Virginia Tech for various spaces in the new Transit Center.
• Booth provided images and explained the breakdown of the floor space.
• The lease term is proposed as 40 years, as required by Federal Transit Authority regulations.

Potential Town Code Amendment Regarding Keeping of Certain Animals

• Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer outlined several potential amendments to Town Code.
• One proposal would repeal sections related to keeping hogs, because the Zoning Ordinance already addresses this in the Agriculture regulations.
• Another proposal would remove code portions related to falcons, since the state heavily regulates them.

Council/Staff Exchange

• Town Manager Marc Verniel updated Council on staffing changes in the Finance Department following the retirement of Susan Kaiser.
• Deputy Town Manager Steve Ross will serve as acting Finance Director until a permanent director is hired.
• The Town has hired a consultant to assist Mr. Ross in the interim.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes, resolutions, or ordinances were adopted at the work session; it was an informational briefing.
• Council received updates and will consider future action on the EMS fee ordinance, the consolidated erosion/sediment and stormwater ordinance, the Transit Center lease, and animal keeping code amendments.
• The boil water notice remains in effect, with staff continuing coordination on water system flushing and sanitizing.