The regular council meeting of the Boydton Town Council and a Public Hearing regarding the adoption of rate increases was held on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, beginning at 7:00 P.M., in the' Town Hall Council Chambers with Mayor Christopher D. Starke presiding.  THOSE PRESENT Christopher D. Starke, Mayor T.G.Gill, Vice Mayor W.H. Coleman Bill Thompson David M. Crowder Paul "Ray" Cherry Mr. Ronny Worley Chief. Nathan Bowen Rhita M. Burton, Deputy Clerk Shirley S. Bowen, MMC, Clerk-Treasurer  GUESTS  R.H. Park III, WWTP Chief Operator John P. Roberts, Maintenance Supervisor  Ron Sciamacco Andrea Baxter David Brankley Amanda Hutchins Barbara Johnson  Mayor, Christopher "Chris" Starke, welcomed the council and employees to tonight's monthly meeting, along with a Public Hearing regarding rate increases and called the meeting to order. The Mayor led the pledge of allegiance to the flag, followed by an Mayor Starke opened a Public Hearing regarding the properly advertised "Proposed Rate Increases" for the new. FY 24-25 Budget Year to hear comments from the public. With no comments being made, the Mayor declared the public hearing "closed." Councilman W.H. Coleman moved to approve these new rates for the FY 24-25 fiscal year. Councilman Bill Thompson seconded the motion, and all remaining councilmen voted in favor. Mayor Starke advised, according to the Virginia Code, these new rates would go into effect on July Due to our guest speakers not being present after the public hearing, the Mayor began the Mayor Starke requested a motion to approve the regular monthly minutes of April 9, 2024 and budget meeting minutes of April 23, 2024, if there weren'tany deletions, additions, or corrections. Councilman W. H. Coleman moved to approve the two (2) sets of minutes as submitted, with Councilman Bill Thompson seconding the motion. All remaining council The next item of business was the approval ofl bills to be paid for May 2024, as presented. Vice Mayor T.G. Gill moved to pay the bills for May 2024, as submitted, with Councilman Bill Thompson seconding the motion. All remaining councilmen voted in favor. Upon waiting for Chief Bowen to arrive, Mayor Starke briefed the council concerning a situation on Skipwith Road (Hwy. 688) where a meter had been placed on a fire hydrant with someone getting water without the town's permission with pictures taken.  invocation.  1,2024, upon adoption of the FY: 24-25 budget.  regular council meeting.  members voted in favor.    Chief Bowen called Mr. Renny Park III, our WWTP superintendent, and Mr. Johnny Roberts, the town Maintenance Supervisor, who took the meter off and brought it into the town office. Chief Bowen arrived and continued to expound on this a bit further by saying at truck drove by with a crew who had been laying fiber optic cable, but when they saw him there, they kept on going. Chief Bowen continued with his monthly activity report from April 5th, 2024 thru May 9th, 2024. His report included five (5) traffic stops, three (3) traffic citations, and five (5) calls for service. He noted he was continuing to monitor activities on Washington Street and traffic on Jefferson Street. He stated he actually stopped a logging truck on Jefferson Street and told the driver he should take another route to travel, other than Jefferson Street, as had been advised before, due to the narrowness of the street. The Mayor advised the council he'd been sent a request from the Commonwealth Attorney's office to receive a motion from the council to re-adopt the annual motor vehicle Code, Title 46.2 and Article 18.2-266-18.2-273, as amended. Vice Mayor T.G.C Gill moved to re-adopt this motor vehicle code as requested and fori it to be returned to the Commonwealth Attorney's office for their records. Councilman Paul "Ray" Cherry seconded the motion, Mr. R. H. Park III's public works report for April 2024 from the Waste Water Treatment Plant was requested by Mayor Starke. Mr. Park II reported the following: 1.) Mr. R. H. Park III reported Boydton's Department of Water, RRSA Meter Readings report of water pumped for April 2024, was 728,000 gallons of water purchased from 2.) He reported the electricity at the temporary lift station on Ridge Road had been removed and the contractors would be moving all the equipment from the site. Also, Microsoft has requested that the land be turned back over to them, since it was given to the town during this process, but now that the permanent lift station had been installed, they would like for us to give the land back that housed the temporary one. Councilman W.H. Coleman moved to give the land back to them, as long as they pay thel legal costs. Vice Mayor Gill seconded the motion, and all members voted in favor. 3.) Mr. Park III reported on the Sewer User Agreement with Microsoft for all the sites, except for the Bishop site. He stated the agreement had been reviewed by our town attorney again with some changes made. Itwas his recommendation to send it back to Microsoft now, in order for them to review it, since we have other processes, we need to do, after everyone had signed off on the agreement. Councilman W.H. Coleman asked if the LVL North Lift Station was the only one that's operational. Mr. Park III responded by stating that LVL South is operational, as well, which is at the old prison site, but that site is gravity fed. The LVL North Lift Station would be the only one that Microsoft will pay for us to maintain and operate and, if anything should happen, then Microsoft would be responsible for the cost of repairs. Councilman Worley inquired about what type of action could be taken, ifit was  and all members voted in favor.  thel RRSA and the DMR results were returned as satisfactory.    determined that someone was discharging prohibited substances and also asked ift this was written in the agreement. Mr. Park II replied by saying that would bei included or covered in our town ordinances and Microsoft was aware ofit. Thel Mayor questioned if there was anything stipulated in the agreement from the DEQ and if Microsoft was aware of this, as well. Mr. Park III responded; it was in the first part of the agreement. With no further discussion, Councilman W.H. Coleman moved to send the Sewer User Agreement back to Microsoft for their review and acceptance. Vice Mayor T.G. Gill seconded the motion, and all members voted in favor. 4.) Mr. Park III advised the council oft the land owner (who oversees Bump Carter's property) not being happy with the seeding of the field after construction was done. Mr. Park III advised he'd forwarded that complaint over to the engineer, Jim Jordan, for this project. Mr.Jordan was taken to the site for him to see the problem, which he advised it would be taken care of. Mr. Park III stated he would stay on top of this and make sure Tony Carter was satisfied with how the property was left after  the project's completion, as Councilman Worley suggested.  Councilman W.H. Coleman asked Mrs. Bowen, if] Brian Dalton had contacted her about being on the June agenda. She replied saying she'd seen a note on Rhita's desk that stated he'd called and would like to be on the June agenda. The Mayor interjected and stated that he and Mr. Park III would be having a meeting with Mr. Dalton on Monday, May 20, 2024, (postponed from May 14th) and Mr. Dalton had the information that Renny requested on a thumb drive. He continued by saying they are to have responses to all the questions being asked by the town. The discussion will be limited with no decisions being made, since it would be brought back before the council for decision making. The Mayor, also, advised that members of the Mecklenburg County School Board would possibly be represented at The Mayor called upon Mr. Roberts for his monthly maintenance report for April 2024. 1.) Mr. Roberts reported that another fire hydrant had been hit over at the library. He 2.) The playground slide was taken down due to itl being broken and possibly causing a liability to the town. He stated the sales representative had never gotten back to him regarding the cost of a new one and he couldn'tfind anything to replace it with; 3.) He asked about the trashcans once. again, and ifi it was agreeable to purchase these The Mayor stated that he and Mr. Roberts would meet regarding these issues next week. Councilman Coleman advised his son, Brandon, along with his crew, trimmed the shrubbery and placed mulch over at the Herbert Park as a donation to HBR, Inc., while the  our. June 11,2024, meeting, along with Mr. Dalton.  and his crew straightened it back with no apparent damages.  therefore, he was unsure of what could be done. trashcans as he'd requested in the past.    maintenance crew was there cleaning, as well. Mayor Starke expressed his gratefulness and thanked Councilman Coleman and his son, Brandon. He also, thanked everyone for what The Mayor advised that both he and Councilman Worley had been contacted regarding a parking issue on Hull Street behind the town shop. The individual was unhappy that "No Parking" signs had been placed in that area, and stated they had limited parking on their as street anyway, and now iti is more difficult due to this new notice of "no parking." The Mayor responded to this individual by stating, he appreciated them reaching out, however, for the time being "no parking" signs had been placed there, since he was not willing to risk personal injury or loss of life and property. He stated he wanted to make the council aware of this situation to see what their thoughts were on this. He also asked Mr. Roberts to speak on this subject. Mr. Roberts stated these vehicles were parked on town property and was a hindrance to the daily activity of getting work done, when these vehicles were in the way of moving the town's equipment. The Mayor asked the pleasure of the council or what course ofaction they thought would be better. Councilman Worley asked if there was some type of waiver, we could have the individuals sign to release the town from any liability. Mr. Roberts stated he'd done some work to their driveways, but now they seem to want more from the town. Councilman Worley felt that Mr. Roberts should go talk to the individuals to see what could be worked out with the residents and Mr. Roberts agreed to do SO. Mayor Starke introduced Ms. Amanda Hutchins of the Medical Reserve Corp regarding services the county offers to the general public. As she distributed pamphlets to guests and the council, she stated this group is a national: network of more than 200,000 volunteers who help make their communities stronger and healthier during disasters and everyday life. This organization was created after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in an effort to establish training to respond to community health needs during a crisis and disasters. Ms. Hutchins informed the council of a new service that had been implemented, which is called REVIVE." This new service is free for the public toj join or get involved with to become educated and trained on how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, how to respond to this type ofe emergency, and how to administer the drug Naloxone that can save lives. She further stated a class is going to be held at the Estes Center in Chase City, VA on Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 61 P.M. -7:30 P.M. with thirty (30) seats available for anyone over 18 years of age for this training. She said she'd love for anyone interested to please attend. The council and Mayor thanked Ms. Hutchins for coming tonight and sharing this information. Ms. Barbara Johnson of the Community Health Department was introduced by Mayor Starke as the next guest speaker. Ms. Johnson thanked the Mayor and council fori inviting both she and Ms. Hutchins to speak tonight. She stated she was a co-worker ofl Ms. Hutchins; however, she was an outreach worker whose main focus was to get out into the community to inform the residents of resources that are available to them they probably never knew existed from their local health department. Ms. Johnson advised that her department serves Mecklenburg, Halifax, and Brunswick Counties. She also noted not many people know that you can go to your health department to obtain marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, and divorce papers by paying only a $12.00 fee. She continued by saying you could also get shingles, flu, Covid shots, and children's vaccinations for school.  they do each and every day for the town.    They also offer all types of screenings, such as: HIV,STD, tuberculosis, along with assistance of screenings to see if someone would need nursing home care. The health department can provide food for the needy and also has a' "Wick Program" that provides help for young moms with necessities and training for their new babies. Ms. Johnson advised there are numerous programs available and she also goes to churches, and other organizations to make people, in all walks ofl life, educated and aware of all these programs available to them. The Mayor and council thanked Ms. Johnson for coming and for all they do.  OLD BUSINESS:  The Mayor stated thel line hanging down at the ballpark had been repaired. He reported he'd spoken tol Mr. Rowe of the USDA to see ifl he could meet with him some time in June to see what they have available in grants or other assistance to the town. Regarding bank updates, The Mayor called the President at the Bank of Charlotte County, but while they werei interested..they are involved in another project and are focusing on that at this time. Mayor Starke advised he had also contacted Carter Bank and Trust and had received a call back from one of their customer service representatives. He stated he'd left his information, but was still waiting on a call back from them. He advised hel had some other institutions to reach out to in the next few weeks. Concerning the progress on the property ofl Mr. Stolarz, thel Planning Commission prepared some questions (included in the council packets) to be answered by him before hel leaves the country in June. Hopefully, we will be more prepared tor respond tol his requests after he answers our questions. He has asked to be placed on our agenda for the September meeting. The Mayor thanked the planning commission members for preparing these questions and he asked if the council had any objections on forwarding these questions to Mr. Stolarz. It was the consensus of the council to go ahead and send  them to him. NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business. MAYORS COMMENTS:  The Mayor reported on the recognition ceremony for Mrs. Mildred Winn. He stated it was a very nice ceremony and enjoyed by all, with refreshments served afterwards at the Boyd Tavern. He also noted there will be a ribbon cutting on Monday, May 20, 2024, at 3:00 P.M. for the town's mural and he invited anyone who could attend to join us. David Crowder asked if the crepe myrtles could be cut or trimmed up, since it was blocking a good view of thei new mural. Mrs. Andrea Baxter agreed that it was hard to see the beauty of the mural. Councilman W. H. Coleman stated he would do whatever the council wanted, if someone The Mayor opened thei floor for public comments. Ms. Teresa Goode advised the audience and council of the Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 10 A.M. until  would just put a marker around it as to where they'd like it cut back.    5:00 P.M. She invited the Mayor and council to come and speak if they'd like to, and also invited the audience in attendance and stated it should be ai fun-filled event. Mayor Starke thanked her and all the special guests for coming to share valuable information with us tonight, as well as, Mr. Brankley, the town's representative on the County Board of Supervisors and all thei individuals who work each day to make our town a better place. Mayor Starke advised the town council would be moving into a closed session where the Councilman Worley moved that the' Town Council hold a closed meeting to discuss the following, as permitted by the Virginia Code 2.2-3711 (A)(1) for the purpose of discussion or consideration of personnel issues, pertaining to salaries of specific employees of the town. The executive session being closed, the meeting was reconvened into open session. Councilman Ronny Worley moved that the Boydton Town Council certify that, in the closed meeting just concluded, that nothing was discussed except the matters (1) specifically identified in the motion to convene in a closed meeting and (2) lawfully permitted to be sO discussed under the provisions of the Virginia Freedom ofl Information Act citied in that  audience could return upon reconvening, if they chose to.  motion.  The motion was passed by a roll call vote as follows:  Ronald C. Worley Aye Paul "Ray" Cherry Aye  W.H. Coleman Aye Bill Thompson Aye  David M. Crowder Absent  T.G.Gill  Aye  Upon reconvening, Councilman Ronny Worley moved to accept the salary increases for employees as discussed, adjusted, and agreed upon in the closed session. Councilman W.H. Councilman W. H. Coleman moved to permit Mrs. Bowen, Clerk of Council, to advertise the FY: 2024-2025 budget for a Public Hearing to be held at our June 11th meeting. Councilman Councilman David M. Crowder moved to adopt the new changes to the personnel policy regarding leave time, with Councilman Bill Thompson seconding the motion. All remaining There being no further comments or concerns, the meeting was adjourned at 9:05P.M.  Coleman seconded the motion, with all members voting unanimously.  Ronny Worley seconded the motion. All members voted in favor.  members voted in favor.  Shirley S. Bowen, MMC Clerk of Council May 14, 2024  Christopher D. Starke Mayor