Harrisonburg City Council Meeting Summary – September 9, 2025

The Harrisonburg City Council met at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, in Council Chambers and adjourned at 9:41 PM. Vice-Mayor Dany Fleming presided in the absence of Mayor Deanna R. Reed, who was attending to a family matter. Council Members Laura Dent, Nasser Alsaadun, and Monica Robinson were present. City Manager Ande Banks, City Attorney Chris Brown, City Clerk Pam Ulmer, Chief Matthew Tobia, and Deputy Police Chief Rod Pollard also attended. Note: the transcript begins with an oral reference to 'September eighth,' but the agenda and minutes identify the meeting as September 9, 2025.

Consent Calendar

• The Council approved the minutes from the August 26, 2025 City Council meeting by a 4-0 roll-call vote.

Public Hearings

• PY2024 CDBG CAPER: City Manager Ande Banks reviewed the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), noting total project grants of $627,906 and opening a 15-day public comment period ending September 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM. Public commenter Panayotis 'Poti' Giannakouros argued the city was not qualified for the grant, criticized the tall grass/weed ordinance and animal trapping on city property, and said aesthetic nuisance enforcement had more than doubled the rate at which people were found in violation, with fewer than a quarter of calls now resulting in 'no violation found.' No action was required; the report was received and filed.
• Special use permit – 1710 Country Club Road: Adam Fletcher, Director of Community Development, presented a request for a special use permit to allow a food-truck restaurant in the M-1 zoning district. The property lies in the floodplain and floodway; staff and the Planning Commission (6-0) recommended approval with conditions, including one food truck, no customer parking between the building and the public street, and re-establishment of entrance curbing within 60 days, with a possible one-time 60-day extension. Ignacio Arosetgui spoke in support of the application, saying the food would be Cuban-inspired and that a solution had been found. Giannakouros noted a previous similar request had been denied and said there were gaps in zoning policies. The Council approved the permit 4-0.
• Supplemental appropriation – $22.7 million: City Manager Banks presented three supplemental appropriations totaling $22,737,842: $14,947,224 in carryover encumbrances, $5,983,590 in carryover unexpended grants, and $1,807,028 in new grant awards. Items include two fire trucks, nine school buses (including three EVs), 13 police patrol vehicles, and a railroad-elimination grant study. Public commenter Giannakouros expressed concern about the amount of local funds and uncertainty about future federal grants; James Sheets asked why ADA-accessible bus stops could not be funded through grants. The Council approved the appropriation 4-0.

Discussion Items

• Solid Waste Collection Improvements: Public Works Director Tom Hartman outlined planned changes: moving the Friday collection route to Wednesday, switching bulk and yard-debris pickup from every-other-Wednesday to an online reservation system tied to each property's regular collection day, and launching public outreach and education. Hartman said high-season data showed only 13 of every 100 homes used Wednesday bulk/yard collection, and low-season use was 3-4%. Separating yard debris from bulk would reduce landfill disposal costs because ground yard waste can be used as free daily landfill cover. Crews would move to four 9-hour days. Open houses are planned at elementary schools from September 23 to mid-October, with the new schedule starting in the first full week of 2026 and enforcement fully resuming in April 2026. Council discussion covered online language access, cancellation methods, fines, environmental benefits, and mobile recycling units. No action was required; the report was received and filed.
• Personal Property Tax Relief for 2025: City Attorney Chris Brown presented a resolution setting the 2025 personal property tax relief rate at 18.2%. The city receives $1,522,583 from the Commonwealth, to be spread among 30,611 qualifying vehicles. The Council approved the resolution 4-0.
• Opioid Settlement Participation: The Council adopted a resolution approving the city's participation in the proposed nationwide opioid settlement against Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan, Sun, and Zydus. The settlement provides $720 million nationwide, distributed through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Fund and Settlement Allocation MOU, with an October 8 deadline. Funds would help address opioid impacts on emergency services, law enforcement, and public health. The resolution was approved 4-0.
• Municipal Building/City Hall Renovation Reimbursement Resolution: City Manager Banks explained that the resolution would allow the city to reimburse itself from future bond proceeds for design and engineering costs already incurred for the renovation project. It does not commit the city to borrowing. The resolution was approved 4-0.
• Council Vision and Action Plan Update: Brian Vandenberg, assistant to the city manager, presented the 2025-2028 Action Plan, noting the vision statement tagline was changed to 'a city for all.' The plan contains 30 priorities in six focus areas and about 180 staff tasks. Highlights included the Community Connectors program, the Northeast neighborhood small area plan, an entrepreneurship initiative that paired 30 local entrepreneurs with industry experts, the 80-bed navigation center, Fire Station 5 nearing completion, and roughly 250 new early-childhood slots funded with ARPA money. The Council approved the 2045 Council Vision and 2025-2028 Action Plan 4-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sam Nichols expressed concern about ICE activity, saying 246 people in the DHS ICE region had been 'kidnapped and disappeared' from their families by ICE, and shared two social-media accounts of families affected by enforcement.
• Teresa Hinckley described multiple ICE incidents in Harrisonburg between August 26 and September 4, including alleged racial profiling of U.S. citizens and surveillance at apartment complexes, and called for recognition that real community members are affected.
• Wayne B. Wenger complained about liquid leaking from solid waste trucks on his street, expressed concern about unkempt yards and homes, and opposed the proposed location of the Link development.
• Laura Comarado said a petition supporting the Link project had 177 signers after duplicates were removed, with 22% having direct financial ties to the project, while an opposing petition had grown to about 1,300 signatures, roughly three-quarters from Harrisonburg ZIP codes.
• Jennifer Cunningham raised concerns that the Link developer, Timberwolf Capital Partners, might seek local tax exemptions in the future, citing a Syracuse, New York project where the developer sought $20 million in tax breaks, and asked the Council to vote against the rezoning.
• Carl Larson expressed concerns about the Link's building design and suggested the city study design safeguards and consider an architectural review board to protect downtown design standards.
• Panayotis 'Poti' Giannakouros invited immigrant activists to join his organization, encouraged activists to support other causes, and voiced opposition to regulating the appearance of yards.
• James Sheets said he was unlawfully prohibited from attending a prior City Council meeting and renewed his request to increase the number of ADA-accessible bus stops.

Other Council and Staff Updates

• City Manager Banks reported that the facilitation process for the Link development would be led by a third-party facilitation team, not city staff. Volunteers from James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University came forward, and neither the developer nor the city selected the team. The September 23 deadline for the facilitation structure will not be met; facilitators are expected to update the Council on that date, with community meetings likely in late September or early October.
• Council Member Alsaadun reported on an August 29 meeting with EMU's president and a city-school liaison meeting.
• Council Member Dent noted her work with the National League of Cities taskforce and reminded the public that early voting begins September 19, 2025.
• Council Member Robinson announced upcoming community events, including the African American Festival on September 13 and the Northeast Neighborhood Community Luncheon on September 20.
• Vice-Mayor Fleming reported on a Virginia Municipal League Legislative Committee meeting, completion of an 'AI for the Public Good' course, work toward city AI policy, and his concern for residents impacted by ICE activity.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved 4-0.
• CDBG CAPER report received and filed; no action required.
• Special use permit for 1710 Country Club Road approved 4-0.
• $22,737,842 supplemental appropriation approved 4-0.
• Solid waste improvement update received and filed; no action required.
• 2025 personal property tax relief rate set at 18.2% and approved 4-0.
• Opioid settlement participation resolution adopted 4-0.
• Municipal Building/City Hall reimbursement resolution adopted 4-0.
• 2045 Council Vision and 2025-2028 Action Plan approved 4-0.
• All roll-call votes were 4-0, with Mayor Reed absent.