Blacksburg Town Council Retreat (Special Meeting) - February 5, 2026

This retreat, held at the Pete Dye River Course in Radford, VA, was facilitated by Kevin Byrd of the New River Valley Regional Commission. The morning focused on team-building and understanding individual decision-making styles, while the afternoon was devoted to discussing the town's biggest challenges and reviewing strategic goals. Note: The agenda and minutes list the meeting date as February 12, 2026, but the provided context specifies February 5, 2026. This summary uses the date given in the instructions.

Discussion Items

• Team-building: Council members participated in icebreaker activities and discussion prompts led by Kevin Byrd about what called them to serve and how they make decisions.
• Biggest challenges identified: Housing and growth, public trust in Town Council, and recent tensions with Virginia Tech.
• Strategic goals update: Town Manager Marc Verniel reported that many projects from the last two-year period were completed, while others remain underway.
• Communication: Council discussed hosting mobile Town Council events to better engage citizens.
• Community Wellbeing goal: Mayor Michael Sutphin recommended renaming the goal to "Community Building and Engaged Community."
• ARPA funding: Council discussed how to continue supporting programs previously funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
• Recreation and economic development: Council expressed continued support for expansion of recreation opportunities, downtown and economic development, including a retail incubator, downtown restroom facility, façade improvement grants, and implementation of Retail Strategies recommendations.
• Other strategic goals: Housing, transportation, and improving communication with residents received ongoing support.
• Town Council Handbook: Minor revisions were made; the revised document will be presented for Council signatures at a later date.
• Pay raise: Vice Mayor Susan Anderson recommended a pay increase for the Mayor. After discussion, Council agreed to an across-the-board Town Council pay raise, effective January 1, 2027.

Key Outcomes

• Council agreed to implement an across-the-board pay raise for all Town Council members, effective January 1, 2027.
• Staff will prepare a summary of the discussion items for review and input at an upcoming work session.
• The revised Town Council Handbook will be presented for signatures at a later date.
• The meeting adjourned at 3:53 p.m.