Harrisonburg City Council Meeting - July 28, 2026
Harrisonburg City Council Meeting - July 28, 2026
City Council met on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. Four members were present (Mayor Reed, Vice-Mayor Fleming, Council Members Dent and Robinson); Council Member Alsaadun was absent. The meeting adjourned at 9:28 PM. Key actions included approvals for public art, tax measures, transportation grants, rezoning and special use permits for a mixed-use development, adoption of a policy on automatic license plate recognition systems, and a water drought ordinance amendment.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from July 14, 2026 were approved unanimously (4-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Panayotis “Poti” Giannakouros (no address given) spoke on the upcoming primary election, urging voters to support candidates opposed to tall grass/weed enforcement and B1-C zoning. He also raised concerns about city actions disrupting pollinator habitats and called for rebuilding trust, agency, and solidarity in public safety.
- Isaac Felix (1030 W Market St), Pastor of Light of the World Church, introduced himself and noted the church’s recent ribbon cutting and plans to host a Salvadoran consular mobile unit.
- Tom Domonoski (461 Lee Avenue) thanked Council and proposed permanently closing a half-street between Court Square Theater and the Circuit Court, citing a successful closure during construction.
Discussion Items
7.a – Approval of Archway Design for Spraygrounds at Ralph Sampson Park
Deputy City Manager Amy Snider reviewed the public art project funded by donors Steve and Chris Carpenter. The proposed archway by artist Maxwell Emcays is 24 feet wide and 13 feet high, featuring children playing double Dutch. A separate historic sign for Harris Pool was also approved. The mosaic for the pump house is not yet ready. Council Member Dent praised the project’s connection to community history. Mayor Reed noted the diver in the original photo is her uncle. The motion carried 4-0.
7.b – Advertising Real Estate Delinquent Taxes for 2023 & 2024
Treasurer Jeff Shafer requested approval to advertise delinquent taxes as part of collection. The motion carried 4-0.
7.c – Writing Off Delinquent Real Estate (2005) and Personal Property (2020) Taxes
Treasurer Shafer reported collection rates of 99.99% for 2005 real estate and 99.06% for 2020 personal property. Writing off does not stop collection activities. The motion carried 4-0.
7.d – Resolution of Support for Eight VDOT Smart Scale Grant Applications
Public Works Director Tom Hartman presented eight projects totaling approximately $100 million, including the North End Greenway, Chicago Avenue sidewalk, MLK Jr. Way reconfiguration, North Mason Street complete street, and Port Republic Road intersections. Projects are competitive statewide; funding decisions expected in June 2027. Council Member Dent commended staff’s success in securing grants. Council Member Robinson praised equity in project distribution across the city. The motion carried 4-0.
7.e – Rezoning of 1340 South Main Street
Adam Fletcher (Community Development) presented a request from Marilyn S. Pendlebury to rezone 1.23 acres from R-5C (conditional) to allow a 26-unit building (up to six two-bedroom units, rest one-bedroom) with proffers including no parking between building and street, a 6-foot fence, and curb ramp reconstruction. The Planning Commission recommended approval 7-0. Council Member Robinson expressed concerns about traffic impacts on the boxed-in neighborhood and voted no. Others supported the housing need and mixed-use aspect. Motion carried 3-1 (Robinson dissenting).
7.f – Special Use Permit for Multifamily Buildings with More Than 12 Units
Approved 3-1 (Robinson dissenting).
7.g – Special Use Permit for Retail, Offices, Restaurants, etc.
Council Member Robinson moved to deny; motion failed for lack of second. Council Member Dent moved to approve, seconded. Approved 3-1 (Robinson dissenting). Proffer requires non-residential uses up to 5,000 sq ft; conditions limit peak hour traffic to 100 trips and prohibit drive-throughs.
7.h – Presentation of Proposed Legislative Strategy
Brian Vandenberg (Assistant to City Manager) outlined a year-round strategy for engaging state legislators, including relationship management, a formal legislative agenda, monitoring bills, and unified messaging. No vote required. Council Members welcomed the initiative, noting its value for preempting state preemption and advancing local priorities.
7.i – Resolution and Policy on Automatic License Plate Recognition Systems
City Attorney Chris Brown presented a policy banning stationary ALPR systems (e.g., Flock cameras) without Council approval. The contract with Flock ends July 31, 2026; cameras will be removed. The policy exempts mobile ALPRs on police vehicles and photo speed monitoring devices. Future councils may revisit the policy only through a public vote. Council Member Robinson emphasized that the decision was based on community input on equity, privacy, and trust. Motion carried 4-0.
7.j – Amendment to Water Drought Emergency Ordinance (Section 7-2-19(b)(7))
City Attorney Brown explained the amendment removes the requirement that the city automatically declare a drought emergency when Rockingham County does so. Staff worked with DEQ to modify the water withdrawal permit. Council Members noted different water sources (surface vs. groundwater). Motion carried 4-0.
8.a – Supplemental Appropriation for Harrisonburg City School Board
City Manager Ande Banks presented a supplemental appropriation of $1,724,238 for the school fund and $3,253 for the school nutrition fund, made possible after the state budget passed. Motion carried 4-0.
Key Outcomes
- Approved (4-0): Archway design, delinquent tax advertising, tax write-offs, Smart Scale resolution, ALPR resolution and policy, drought ordinance amendment, school board supplemental appropriation.
- Approved (3-1): Rezoning and both special use permits for 1340 S. Main Street (Robinson dissenting).
- Received and Filed: Legislative Strategy presentation.
- Reappointed: Michael Collins, Ande Banks, and Amy Snider (alternate) to the Harrisonburg Rockingham Regional Sewer Authority (4-0).
- Noted: Public comments and council member updates on upcoming events and initiatives.
Meeting Transcript
I'll call our Tuesday, July twenty eighth, twenty twenty six. City Council meeting to order roll call, please pay them. President. City Manager Banks. Here. City Attorney Brown. Here. Vice Mayor Fleming? Here. Councilmember Alcedeon is absent. Councilmember Dent? Here. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Chief Tobia. Here. Lieutenant Weatherall. Here. If we would please stand for a moment of silence or proper prayer as you wish and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Okay, we have no special recognition this evening. We'll go straight to our consent agenda. Any items placed on the consent agenda shall be removed and taken up as a separate matter if so requested by any member of council. Otherwise, all items will be voted on with one motion. So move. Any discussion? Roll call, please, Pam. Councilmember Dent? Aye. Councilmember Robinson. Aye. Vice Mayor Fleming. Aye. Aye. We have no public hearings. We will go right into our regular items. Um and Amy. You are going to start us off. All right. Good evening, Council members. Amy Snyder, Deputy City Manager. I am excited to be back at the podium to share with you uh another round of updates and seek additional approval for our second aspect of the public art at the spray grounds over at Ralph Sampson Park. I'm just going to give a brief overview of the history of the project and then turn it over to the donors to share more about uh what's to come and what they're seeking approval for. As some context, we have been working with the with Chris and Steve Carpenter now since late of late twenty twenty five. They approach the city with an incredibly generous donation offer to fund three pieces of art at the spray grounds that both will encapsulate the history and celebrate the history of Ralph Sampson Park and the Lucy Sims Center and the neighborhood, as well as the joyfulness that is brought about by the spray grounds and all of the children that now uh if you go by spend a lot of time screaming and running around and having fun um at the spray grounds. So we're incredibly grateful to the carpenters for approaching the city with this donation. They came to you all in January for a request for you all to approve in concept where they would like to put the art. You all approve that unanimously. So that is the roundabout that is in front of the Lucy Sim Center, the main entryway for a grand arch, and then a mosaic to be put on the pump house, which is right adjacent to the spray grounds. They came back to you all for approval for the roundabout art, which was by an artist named Maxwell M.
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