(Editor’s Note: This article is now complete.)
SouthsideCentral was LIVE! at Danville City Hall for Tuesday’s Danville City Council meeting. The meeting ended up being over 3 hours long, but we’ve got the complete rundown for you. Let’s get started.
We’re underway!
Averett University President Tiffany Franks gives an update on activities at the school. I have to laugh as she ends her speech and proceeds to recognize speakers from the floor as if she was chairing the meeting. Heh.
We heart Tiffany Franks.
All council members shower praise on Franks & Averett. Buddy Rawley notes that every freshman has dinner at Franks’ house in their first semester.
Laurie Moran is up next to talk about the Regional Tourism Study.
We also heart Laurie Moran.
She talks about the importance of tourism to the region. She hands out a one page overview of goals to start a sustainable tourism marketing effort. It’s needed badly and the Chamber is leading the way. Nobody else has been.
We’ve got a group of students from Tunstall & the Governor’s School. Maybe Tunstall Governor’s School students. yep, that’s it.
Here’s the left side of tonight’s gallery.
And here’s the right side.
Dolores Reynolds has that contemplative look while Harold Garrison appears to be quite unamused. Heh.
Fred Shanks gets a dig at the city’s “lousy effort” at promoting “historical heritage and history”. Laurie masterfully turns that into a reminder that people visit the region for more than just that purpose too. Alonzo Jones mentions the excellent Chamber staff including the amazing Lynnette Lawson. We heart Lynnette. We heart Donna Ashworth too. We heart Laurie Moran. Repeat that often. Heh.
We’re 42 minutes into the meeting and haven’t gotten close to the business section.
The non-resident library fee repeal will not be officially voted on tonight. I’m not happy with that.
Sherman Saunders points out that social media increases the amplitude of negative comments. Laurie agrees and notes that most locals haven’t done the attractions and assets that already exist here.
The school group is recognized, and Glenn Scearce is up next.
It’s Glenn Scearce!
The left side of the council doesn’t seem to be amused while Glenn Scearce is talking.
Glenn says he’s running out of town time. He asks the police officer to unfurl the Virginia State Flag. Sherman Saunders gives a time warning. Scearce asks the officer to point to the naked breast on the flag and that’s enough for Saunders. He shuts Glenn Scearce down on time rules. So that happened. Saunders was clearly flustered and still is.
On to business. Everything passes with a 9-0 vote except it’s 8-0 when Fred Shanks has to do a conflict of interest abstention. Here’s what went on…
- Minutes were approved.
- $350,000 was appropriated from the general fund for various legal fees. I asked City Attorney Clarke Whitfield and he said that he hoped that the bills wouldn’t come close to that amount but it was a safe maximum to get if needed. He was also$1. very clear in saying that the money would be for legal fees and nothing else.
- $1.3 million in annual federal funding for housing projects is accepted to improve the Danville community.
- The annual Comprehensive Services Act budget is approved.
- Everything that the Planning Commission approved last month is in turn approved by council.
- Approval to apply for funding to extend the walking trail from the current endpoint of the fire training center all the way to the airport.
- The annual request for matching VDOT funds for street improvement projects. This year, the city is asking for $1,300,000.
- And finally, a resolution of support to get Danville back into the Virginia Main Street program.
That’s all the regular business, so it’s around the session time… but first, Sherman Saunders tells the TV audience and everyone else that he apologizes for any offensive content during the public comment session. He’s referring to Glenn Scearce’s “naked breast” stunt.
I never want to use the words “naked breast” & “Glenn Scearce” in the same sentence again.
In the around the horn session, the Tunstall and Governor’s School students are recognized. John Gilstrap says that the non-resident library fee will be officially repealed soon and verifies that fee is no longer being charged anyway. I can live with that. Fred Shanks semi-calls out Sherman Saunders for shutting Glenn Scearce down, saying what’s offensive to one may not be offensive to others. During Saunders’ comment session, he directly mentions the “naked breast” stunt and says he will stick with his opinion. Fred Shanks gets visibly angry and says he’ll stick with his opinion too. Yowza.
We’re moving to the work session.
Notice that all of the city employees tend to sit on the back row together.
It’s WSET’s Matt Ray!
The left side of the table looks at the big screen.
Police chief Philip Broadfoot does a great job explaining the crime statistics and what they really mean.
In tonight’s work session, Police Chief Philip Broadfoot does a 50 minute presentation on crime statistics and the department’s prevention efforts. We’re going to do a separate BreakDown article on that.
Based on tonight’s business session, it may look like Ric Drazenovich is heading to kick somebody’s ass. However, he’s only answering questions.
James Buckner’s “Patriot Way” proposal will be enacted at the next council meeting. Ric Drazenovich explains the American that will go up a week before patriotic holidays.
It’s getting late, but Marc Adelman’s up next.
Mike Adkins does the finance reports. Marc Adelman explains the planned student $2 discounted price for Reserve-A-Ride trips.
Kent Shelton wraps up the work session.
In the around the horn finale to the work session, John Gilstrap says he wishes that council didn’t have to wait 4 weeks to see the minutes of the meeting. Clerk Sue DeMasi says she transcribes them as quickly as possible, but agenda deadlines make it hard. Clarke Whitfield says that the mayor and vice-mayor finalize the next agenda at a lunch meeting the day after every council meeting.
I don’t like that one damned bit. Sherman Saunders, Gary Miller, Clarke Whitfield & Joe King Ken Larking have lunch in the private dining room at the Golden Leaf Bistro and decide things that influence Council’s decision process. It’s perfectly legal because there’s only two elected officials in the discussion, but that “behind closed doors” feeling that just nags me. We’ll talk about that in a future article.
We’re done here, folks. Thanks for reading the most comprehensive coverage of Danville’s City Council meeting… only here on SouthsideCentral!
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