Town of Onancock November 23, 2020 7:00 p.m. Town Council Meeting - Virtually (AMENDED) Call to Order and Roll Call: Mayor Fosque called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and roll was called. Mayor Fletcher Fosque and Councilmembers Catherine Krause, Joy Marino, Ray Burger, Maphis Oswald and Thelma Gillespie were present. Councilmember Robert Bloxom was absent. A majority of members were present, and a quorum was established. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Consideration and Approval oft the October 26, 2020T Town Council Meeting Minutes: Mayor Fosque asked for a motion to discuss the minutes. Councilmember Oswald made a motion to approve the minutes. Councilmember Krause seconded the motion. Mayor Fosque asked for any Councilmember Oswald stated that the discussion on page five regarding allowing boaters to tie upi in empty slips for free for four hours reads like the town will require that they physically leave a credit card behind to utilize a slip for this purpose which is noti the case. Mr. Spuck clarified that they will be required to give the wharf staff a credit card number which will then be entered into the town's marina management software, but the physical card will stay with the boater. Mr. Spuck suggested that the sentence be adjusted that say, "Mr. Spuck explained that after four hours we would charge the Councilmember Oswald also expressed concern with how Councilmember Gillespie's comment on page six is stated. Councilmember Oswald clarified that Councilmember Gillespie's commented on the need future lighting of the newly planted bushes is because of potential health and safetyi issues behind the grown bushes but the sentiment of the minutes read that her concern was due toi the ascetics of having Councilmember Oswald also stated that during the public comment section, the minutes need to reflect that the town wasi in error and should not have disconnected on the wrong date. Mr. Spuck stated that he would be happy make the appropriate adjustment so thati it is clearer, suggesting that it be changed tor reflect that while the town attempted to notify all recipients of the error in the date of the delinquency notices, the town failed to contact this customer and should not have disconnected services for that reason. It was indeed at town mistake and staff and council apologize to the customer. changes, corrections, or additions to minutes as submitted. published hourly rate to rent a slip." the bushes lit. The corrected minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. Public Business: a. Public Hearing: Regarding Town of Onancock consideration of USDA lending and grant possibilities for the purchase of police vehicles and equipment: Mayor Fosque opened the public hearing at 7:07 p.m. Mr. Spuck: shared that Town Council adopted a resolution of intent to pursue funding as stated above. The town is required to have al Public Hearing sO that residents can comment on thei intent to pursue USDA-Rural Development funds by either loan 1 or grant. Mayor Fosque asked for public comment. None was received. The public hearing was 6. Motion to approve revised appropriation of CARES Act funds: Councilmember Oswald made a motion to approve the revised appropriation of CARES Act funds. Councilmember Krause closedat7:09 p.m. seconded the motion. Mr. Spuck explained that he is asking Town Council to repurpose how thet town spends spend its CARES Act allocation. Initially, it was recommended that council appropriate $25,0001 for FFCRA, which is what the town could use to cover the hourly wages of employee required quarantine. Since town staff have not been required to quarantine, those funds are not being used. Mr. Spuck recommended that council appropriate those funds for the following: Agrant for businesses that were not open in 2019. Unfortunately, businesses that were not open in 2019 did not qualify for the last small business grant that council appropriated. This would give thosel businesses an opportunity for some additional financial support. Mr. Mr. Spuck also requested the following utility subsidies for low-income residents who have Utility Subsidy 1:1 this subsidy would bet for1 those people currently on a payment Utility Subsidy 2: this subsidy is for anyone whose gross income falls at or below 138% of the federal poverty guidelines and has been negatively impacted by COVID- Spuck is asked council to appropriate $10,0001 for this purpose. been negatively affected by COVID-19: plan for a past due water bill. 19. Mayor Fosque asked, what ifs someone is affected by COVID-19 but does not meet the federal poverty guidelines. Mr. Spuck stressed that clear guidelines need tol be in place andi if not enough people qualify under these guidelines then he may come back to council and ask for the Councilmember Oswald askedi if Mr. Spuck was asking for discretion on how best to expend the funds. Mr. Spuck stated that hei is not and that applicants for the subsidies need to meet the Councilmember Marino asked how the businesses and residents will find out about the program. Mr. Spuck shared that businesses will not qualify for the utility subsidies and that for the business grant the town will reach out to them individually. The funds for the new business grant will be distributed equally among those that qualify. Mr. Spuck also shared that fort the utility subsidy thet town will be reaching out to the local churches and team captains (from the NE Revitalization Project) to hopefully get this information out as quickly as possible. Councilmember Gillespie asked if the town would write al letter that could be passed out. Mr. Spuck shared that town staff will create ai flyer tol be distributed as well as a notice on Facebook funds to be repurposed. guidelines and have express need of the funds due to COVID-19. and the town's website. With out any further discussion, the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. 2 Council Discussion: a. Onancock Wharf & Marina: 3-Year Plan: Mr. Spuck explained that there is no need for council action at this meeting. Mr. Spuck asked council what they feel is the goal of the wharf. Isit to make money or break even? The assumptions that Mr. Spuck outlined assumed a 10% return to the town's general fund and ani investment of 10%1 for future capital improvements and deferred maintenance costs. Ideally, the wharf would be staffed from 7:30 a.m. to sundown during the boating season which consists of 21 weeks. This will help the transient boating guests and locals. When calculating the number of slips (13) by the number of weeks in a season, the town has 1,911 slip nights available for rent which would generate $114,700 for the season. There is also al key metric on gas income/expenses, as prices fluctuate. The margin is income less expense. Wages are also critical, especially if we staff from sunup to sundown. What hourly wage is appropriate for part-time staff and how can we manage that staff better? We also need to make sure that the Harbormaster has the: staffi in place so that he can manage his time and vacations better. Mr. Spuck also explained that the town will nol longer be charging a credit card fee, there will nol longer we a cash discount on fuel. The credit card fees willl be absorbed by the town, as the cost of doing business. Advertising costs have also been amped up over thei three-year outlook whichi is reflective ofi inflationary costs. Mr. Spuck stressed that the Councilmember Oswald asked fori information on how the town's marina compares to others. Harbormaster Tanner said that there are a bunch off free publications that are brought to the Councilmember Marino thanked Harbormaster Tanner for doing an excellent joba at the wharf. Councilmember Marino also asked ifiti is reasonable to project a maximum of $87,500in revenue when the potential is $114,700. Mr. Spuck explained that the researchi is challenging but that using a 30ft boat as the average boat size to factori into the equation was on the town will not see a 10% returni immediately. wharfand that we: seem to be trend. conservative side. Councilmember Krause thanked Mr. Tanner for working with the kids that have been playing in the trees at the Kayak Landing, stating that he did a good job getting them to relocate. b. Update on boat ramp renovation permits and project: Mr. T. Lee Byrd gave an update on the project. Mr. Byrd explained that the Accomack County' Wetlands Board heard the application request for the ramp project, it was approved unanimously. With the assistance of. J.W. Salm, Engineer, Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) is expected to grant the permit within the next month. Ifa all goes well, time wise, the contractor, Murtech Inc., should' be able to Discuss meeting electronically: Mr. Spuck explained the procedures for public participation while council meets electronically due to COVID-19, stating that to actively participate the viewer must be a part of the Zoom meeting. Ifsomeone is only interested in viewing the complete the project before the next boating season. 3 meeting, they may continue to do sO through the town's' YouTube channel. Also, people may participate in the Zoom meeting either by video and audio or by audio only. d. Discuss changing the date oft the December 28, 2020Town Council Meeting to December2 21, 2020: Mayor Fosque asked for a motion to open the floor up for discussion on this item. Councilmember Gillespie made a motion to change the December 28, 2020 meeting to December Councilmember Oswald asked why this was upi for discussion. Mr. Spuck explained that the currently scheduled meeting falls between Christmas and New Year's, stating that people may 21, 2020. Councilmember Krause: seconded the motion. be unavailable at that time due to holiday travel. With no further discussion, the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. e. ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA- - Northeast Section Project: Mr. Spuck explained that the town will be responsible for 5% of the total grant value fort this project. The town can apply for up to $1.4 million dollars fori infrastructure needs as well as housing rehabilitation, therefore the town could potentially need to pay out up to $70,000 plus $3,000 for a preliminary engineering report. Mr. Spuck shared that the town can also look for alternate funding sources for help with Councilmember Marino made a motion to approve the; $3,000 for the preliminary engineering report. Councilmember Gillespie seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous voice the $70,000. vote. Public Comment: Mr. Bill Burnham, OBCAI President, shared the Christmas activity schedule with Town Council. The OBCA Christmas Homes Tour has been replaced by a driving tour which will bel held on December 12th from 4:00 p.m.-6 6:00 p.m. Participating homes will be decorated with the Believe! theme in mind. The tour will begin at the Old Onancock High School. Also, there will be at tree lighting at Ker Place on December 4th, 2020. Twenty have been purchased and decorated by local businesses which will be on display at Councilmember Oswald asked if Mr. Burnham had heard about what North Street Playhouse was planning on for the Christmas season. Mr. Burnham shared that they have a press release available Mrs. Carol Vaughn, Eastern Shore Post, shared that the details on the variety show were in the Ker Place. online and thati it appears that they will be hosting a virtual variety show. November 20th edition of the Post. Committee Reports: a. HRSD, Robert Bloxom: No report. b. Waterfront Committee, Robert Bloxom: Mr. Byrd shared his thanks for Harbormaster Craig Tanner: and Mr. Bill Burnham, sharing that they did a great job this past boating season. Mr. Byrd also thanked Mr. Spuck for working towards getting a courtesy car and golf carts for the 4 wharf guests. Mr. Byrd also mentioned that the committee is working on an off-season rate and ifanyone is interested in tying up at the wharf during the off-season that they should contact Mr. Tanner. - Planning Commission, Robert Bloxom: No meeting. d. Personnel Committee, Catherine Krause: No meeting. e. Strategic Planning, Fletcher Fosque: No meeting although he did share that the committee has broken the town into seven sections which will be reviewed individually over the coming months so that the committee can present at thoughtful comprehensive strategic plan to Town Council. Mayor's Report: Mayor Fosque thanked OBCA for getting the driving holiday tour together. Mayor Fosque shared that the Christmas lights in town will bet turned on the Wednesday (November 23), stating that due to the increase of COVID-19 cases the public tree lighting which was scheduled for November 26th has been cancelled. Town Manager's Report: Mr. Spuck highlighted the following items from his report: Mr. Spuck shared that hei is now a commissioner on the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission. Mr. Spuck gave an update ont the recodification project, stating that the company has sent him an electronic final version of the code which council willl be voting on, hopefully, in the Mr. Spuck shared that council will be having a Public Hearing on Monday, November 30, to hear public comment ont the CDBG! Small Business Recovery Assistance program which will Mr. Spuck shared that HRSD plans to visiti the town to review planning, staffing, costs, etc. Mr. Spuck shared that there has been al little back and forth with HRSD in terms of staffing- - Mr. Spuck has informally requested HRSD's policies for absorbing the staff ofi facilities they take over and what happens with the accrued vacation and sick time our employees have January council meeting. begin at 5:30 p.m. banked. Councilmember Marino complimented Mr. Spuck on the street repair update as well as asked if he would consider adding Warren Street to the list of town roads to be repaired. Councilmember Marino shared her concern with public health and safety with the current state of Warren Street - citingl large potholes with collected water could become a mosquitol breeding ground. Councilmember Oswald also expressed concern with the trash collection for those residents that put their cans on Warren Street. Mr. Spuck explained that the garbage truck is too bigt to travel down Warren Street and per Davis Disposal's request, the town has asked those residents to take their cans to Meadville Drive so that the truck can easily handle their garbage. Notices were hand-delivered to those residents on Meadville Drive that were placing their cans on Warren Street. Mr. Spuck also shared that he plans on looking into getting Warren Street tar and chipped which will work better for maintaining the integrity oft the street 5 than crush and run. Council Comments: Mayor Fosque thanked the town staff for getting the Christmas decorations up. Councilmember Krause updated council on Onancock Main Street, stating that they are working witha marketing company on rebranding the town. The cost of the rebrand has been paid for through a $7,000 grant that the Onancock Main! Street has received. Councilmember Krause shared1 that they hope deliverables in early 2021. Closed Session, ifr needed: None. Adjourn: Councilmember Krause made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Marino. seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m. aM Fletcher Fosque, Mayor sa Gbfp 6