OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Harrisonburg City Council Reorganization Meeting - January 2, 2025

City Council & Planning Commission — Thursday, January 2, 2025
BodyHarrisonburg, Virginia
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateThursday, January 2, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 12:59

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

All right.

0:03

A motion to nominate has been properly made.

0:05

Do I hear any other nominations?

0:10

All right.

0:10

Hearing none, nominations are closed.

0:13

Madam Clerk, would you please roll a call call the roll?

0:17

Um Councilmember Alcidon?

0:20

Aye.

0:20

Councilmember Dent?

0:22

Aye.

0:22

Councilmember Fleming?

0:23

Aye.

0:24

Councilmember Reed?

0:25

Aye.

0:26

Councilmember Robinson.

0:27

No.

0:30

All right.

0:31

Congratulations, Mayor Ree.

0:49

Nice and done.

0:52

Okay.

0:53

Our next nomination is for the Vice Mayor.

0:59

So do we Vice Mayor?

1:03

I nominate Danny Fleming.

1:07

Do we have any other nominations for Vice Mayor?

1:15

If none.

1:17

This position is now closed.

1:21

Pam, roll call.

1:23

Councilmember Alcedon.

1:25

Aye.

1:25

Councilmember Dents.

1:26

Aye.

1:27

Councilmember Fleming.

1:28

Aye.

1:28

Councilmember Robinson.

1:30

Aye.

1:30

Mayor Reed.

1:31

Aye.

1:32

Congratulations, Dan.

1:40

Okay, our next appointment is for city manager.

1:47

So do I have a council member who would make a motion to appoint our city manager?

1:56

I move to appoint Andy Banks as city manager for the City of Harrisonburg.

2:01

Second.

2:03

We have a third.

2:05

I would like to.

2:08

All right.

2:10

We have a motion to appoint Andy Banks as our city manager.

2:16

Roll call, please, Pam.

2:18

Councilmember Alceden.

2:20

Aye.

2:20

Councilmember Dent.

2:21

Aye.

2:22

Vice Mayor Fleming?

2:24

Aye.

2:24

Councilmember Robinson?

2:26

Aye.

2:26

Mayor Reid.

2:27

Aye.

2:27

Thank you.

2:28

We're glad you're back.

2:37

And we now have appoint our city attorney.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████80%
Election Process███████13%
Community Engagement████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Harrisonburg City Council Reorganization Meeting - January 2, 2025

The Harrisonburg City Council held its annual reorganization meeting on January 2, 2025, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting included the election of Mayor and Vice-Mayor, reappointment of city officers, adoption of an updated Electronic Communications Policy, and appointment of council members to numerous boards and committees. Council Member Nasser Alsaadun was sworn in as a new member, representing the first immigrant elected to the council. There was no public comment period.

Election of Mayor and Vice-Mayor

  • Mayor Deanna R. Reed was re-elected as Mayor on a 4-1 vote (Council Member Robinson voted no). Council Member Dany Fleming was elected Vice-Mayor unanimously.
  • Council Member Fleming declined a nomination for Mayor, leading to Council Member Alsaadun nominating Reed.

Appointments of City Officers

  • City Manager Ande Banks, City Attorney Chris Brown, and City Clerk Pam Ulmer were all reappointed by unanimous votes (5-0 each).

Adoption of Electronic Communications Policy

  • City Attorney Chris Brown reviewed updates to the policy, including a new category for caring for a family member's medical condition and an increase in allowable electronic participation from 2 meetings per year to 25% of meetings (approximately 6 meetings per year for this council). The policy was adopted unanimously by voice vote.

Committee Appointments

  • Council members were appointed to 27 committees and boards in a single omnibus motion, which passed unanimously. Key appointments include:
    • Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission: Council Members Dent and Alsaadun
    • Planning Commission: Council Member Dent
    • Environmental Performance Standards Advisory Committee (EPSAC): Council Member Dent
    • Deer Population Task Force: No appointment made; the task force remains in place without a council member.
    • Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Commission: Council Members Dent, Fleming, Alsaadun, along with staff members City Manager Banks (alternate Amy Snider) and Gerald Gatobu (alternate Cheryl Spain).
    • Other appointments as listed in the agenda.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were unanimous except for the election of Mayor (4-1).
  • The Electronic Communications Policy was adopted for the year.
  • Council Member Alsaadun expressed gratitude and commitment to serving, and the council welcomed him as a milestone for the city.
  • The meeting adjourned at 10:19 AM.

Meeting Transcript

All right. A motion to nominate has been properly made. Do I hear any other nominations? All right. Hearing none, nominations are closed. Madam Clerk, would you please roll a call call the roll? Um Councilmember Alcidon? Aye. Councilmember Dent? Aye. Councilmember Fleming? Aye. Councilmember Reed? Aye. Councilmember Robinson. No. All right. Congratulations, Mayor Ree. Nice and done. Okay. Our next nomination is for the Vice Mayor. So do we Vice Mayor? I nominate Danny Fleming. Do we have any other nominations for Vice Mayor? If none. This position is now closed. Pam, roll call. Councilmember Alcedon. Aye. Councilmember Dents. Aye. Councilmember Fleming. Aye. Councilmember Robinson. Aye. Mayor Reed. Aye. Congratulations, Dan. Okay, our next appointment is for city manager. So do I have a council member who would make a motion to appoint our city manager? I move to appoint Andy Banks as city manager for the City of Harrisonburg. Second. We have a third. I would like to. All right. We have a motion to appoint Andy Banks as our city manager. Roll call, please, Pam. Councilmember Alceden. Aye. Councilmember Dent.

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