[Call to Order]
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DECEMBER 17TH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PUBLIC HEARING.UM, PLEASE ASK EVERYBODY TO MAKE SURE YOUR MOBILE DEVICES ARE SILENCE, AND I WOULD ASK FOR A ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU HAVE A QUORUM.
TONIGHT WE HAVE, UM, MANY MEMBERS OF OUR OR COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION HERE WITH US TONIGHT, AND THEY'RE GONNA HELP US OUT GETTING THINGS STARTED AND OUT OF THE GATE, UH, MR. KA LINE, I GONNA BE UP HERE TO GIVE US THE INVOCATION.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT, THE YOUTH COMMISSION.
UM, I ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE BOW YOUR HEADS.
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR GATHERING US HERE TONIGHT SAFELY.
I PRAY WE MAY HONOR YOU IN OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS, IN OUR WORDS, AND IN OUR DISCUSSIONS.
LET US DRAW FROM YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR WISDOM AS WE ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF OUR COMMUNITY.
LORD, ABOVE ALL, LET US LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS YOU HAVE INSTRUCTED US TO DO SO.
AND YOUR SON, JESUS', HOLY NAME, WE GIVE THANKS.
AND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND REST, PLEASE RISE AS YOUR ABLE FACE THE PLAGUE.
TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INTO THE REPUBLIC OF WHICH YOU SAY STANDS ONE NATION, HONOR GOD IN VOTE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[1.* York County Youth Commission: Quarterly Report from Jacob Corbett, York County Youth Commission. ]
STAYING WITH, UH, YWA COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION, UM, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION TONIGHT, A QUARTERLY REPORT.UM, JACOB CORBET IS GONNA LEAD US ON THAT.
MY NAME IS JACOB CORBETT AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE YORK COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION PRESENTING TO YOU A REPORT OF OUR ACTIVITIES THIS QUARTER.
THE MOTTO OF THE YORK COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION IS YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUTH COMMUNITY.
AS A COMMISSION, OUR GENERAL PURPOSE IS TO SERVE AS A COMMUNICATIONS LINK BETWEEN THE YOUTH OF YORK COUNTY AND THE GOVERNMENT OF YORK COUNTY.
OUR PRIMARY GOALS ARE CENTERED AROUND SERVICE, PRIMARILY SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS OF COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT, WE ALSO CONDUCT CONDUCT STUDENT SURVEYS WITH THE INTENTION OF IMPROVEMENT IN STUDENT LIFE.
OUR COMMISSION IS DIVIDED INTO THREE SUBCOMMITTEES AND A LEADERSHIP TEAM.
OUR SUBCOMMITTEES MEET ONCE A MONTH OUTSIDE OF REGULAR MEETINGS WHERE WE TAKE THE TIME TO WORK TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR, THE PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EXPOSURE OF THE YCYC THROUGH OUR INSTAGRAM PUBLIC SURVEYS AND OTHER COUNTY RESOURCES.
THE SPECIAL PROJECTS COMMITTEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REACHING OUT FOR SERVICE BUILDING COMMUNITY IN THE COUNTY, AND RESEARCHING VARIOUS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.
AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF OUR JOB AS COMMISSIONERS.
THE STUDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INDIVIDUALLY COMMUNICATING WITH OUR PEERS IN THE SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO BE THE EFFECTIVE LINK BETWEEN THE YOUTH AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
AT OUR ORIENTATION THIS YEAR, WE PARTICIPATED IN TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES, PREPARING FOR OUR UPCOMING YEAR OF HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, COOPERATING FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR YORK COUNTY COMMITTEE.
DURING THIS FALL, WE VOLUNTEERED IN THE YORK COUNTY HALLOWEEN BASH AT THE MCREYNOLDS ATHLETIC COMPLEX AND THE POIT, THE RIVER MARKET DAY IN YORKTOWN, INTERACTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND BENEFITING THE YOUTH THIS QUARTER.
WE ALSO ATTENDED THE MAYFLOWER FOOD DRIVE FOR THE PENINSULA FOOD DRIVE AT KROGER, WHERE WE HELPED TO ACCEPT FOOD DONATIONS FROM GENEROUS DONORS, WHICH WE THEN LOADED UP INTO THE TRUCK SO THAT THEY COULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO THOSE IN NEED, ALL THE HOMELESS AND OTHER IN NEED ACROSS YORK COUNTY.
JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WE VOLUNTEERED AT THE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING IN YORKTOWN, A MERRY HOLIDAY FESTIVITY THAT UNITES OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS DURING THE COLD WINTER BUTTONS.
WE HELPED OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH LETTERS TO THOSE DEPLOYED IN THE MILITARY AND LETTERS TO SANTA, AS WELL AS HELPING OTHER COUNTY WORKERS WITH ANY NEEDS.
ADDITIONALLY, 2025 OUTSTANDING YOUTH AWARDS ARE DUE TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025.
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COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF TWO YORK COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION MEMBERS AND ONE SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE.THE APPLICATION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR YCYC, INSTAGRAM AND THE YORK COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
PAGE 2025 AND 2026 YORK COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION.
YORK COUNTY YOUTH APPLICATIONS WILL BE DUE TO PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 28TH, 2025.
THE APPLICATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR YCYC, INSTAGRAM AND THE YORK COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS PAGE.
OUR FUTURE PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING MONTHS INCLUDE COLLECTING CANS FOR THE THRIVE FOOD FOOD PANTRY, CREATING AND SENDING STUDENT SURVEYS TO ALL YORK COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, HOSTING OUR TOWN HALL MEETING IN APRIL, AND WORKING WITH STUDENTS, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE SCHOOL BOARD, THE YCYC PLANS TO GIVE STUDENTS OF YORK COUNTY ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY WITH THE ADOPT A HIGHWAY CLEANUP ALSO.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
LET'S GO AROUND THE TABLE HERE TO SEE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
I'LL CUT OUT FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT THANK YOU FOR THE NEXT, UH, PART OF THE YEAR.
SO, UM, ANYWAY, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE, THE SURVEY RESULTS.
THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO.
AND, UH, APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK YOU GUYS AND LADIES DO.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE KEEP SAYING THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE FUTURE LEADERS AND, UH, SO KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE, IN THE YEAR TO COME.
AND I PICK OUT THE OPERATIVE WORD OF SERVICE.
YOU'RE LEARNING AT AN EARLY AGE THAT SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND WHEN YOU GO TO COLLEGE, YOU'LL BE GONNA BE ASKED TO DO SOME SERVICE PROJECTS AS WELL AS YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.
AND HOPEFULLY WHEN YOU GRADUATE, YOU'LL FIND TIME TO CONTINUE THAT SERVICE AS A VOLUNTEER AND MANY, MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU'LL BE GIVEN OVER YOUR LIFETIME, ESPECIALLY IF YOU STAY IN THE COUNTY.
I HOPE THAT YOU'LL VOLUNTEER HERE AS WELL.
I HOPE YOU'VE HAD A WONDERFUL YEAR AND, UH, YOU, CONGRATULATIONS.
YOU FINISH WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND, UH, MERRY CHRISTMAS.
YOU KNOW, JUST LET THE AUDIENCE KNOW THAT THIS TEAM AND EVERY TEAM BEFORE THEY PUT IN A LOT OF HOURS AS MEMBERS OF THE, OF THE YOUTH COMMISSION VOLUNTEERING AND THINGS THAT HE MR. CORPORATE SHOWED EARLIER, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH THEIR PEERS IN, IN SCHOOL.
AND RELATED TO THAT, HOW ARE, HOW'S THE PARTICIPATION WITH THIS YEAR'S SURVEY COMING? ARE YOU GETTING GOOD, GOOD PARTICIPATION WITH YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS? ARE YOU GETTING A LOT OF SUBMISSIONS? UH, YES SIR.
THE PARTICIPATION HAS BEEN, UH, VERY GREAT RECENTLY.
UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THE PARTICIPATION IN THE SCHOOLS, UH, EVERYBODY WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT, GREG, THERE'S A LOT GOOD, A LOT OF GOOD INSIGHTS TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE STUDENTS, SO I'M GLAD TO GET A LOT OF PARTICIPATION.
WELL, AGAIN, THANKS VERY MUCH.
THANKS Y'ALL FOR JOINING US HERE TONIGHT.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO HANG OUT AND WATCH THE REST OF THE PROCEEDINGS.
AND I DON'T GET TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN 'CAUSE I MISSED LAST NIGHT'S MEETING.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO Y'ALL, SO THANK YOU.
[2.* Visit Williamsburg. Receive presentation from Edward Harris, Chief Executive Officer. ]
UP NEXT WE HAVE MR. EDWARD HARRIS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF VISIT WILLIAMSBURG IS HERE TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION.OKAY, I AM GONNA JUMP RIGHT IN AND PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW AS PART OF MY UPDATE.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR, UM, WITH THE WILLIAMSBURG TOURISM COUNCIL, OR BETTER KNOWN AS VISIT WILLIAMSBURG, I'M GONNA GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW ON WHAT OUR ORGAN ORGANIZATION DOES, HOW WE'RE SET UP, AND A FEW OF THE PROJECTS, UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
AND FIRST THOUGH, I WANNA TALK ABOUT JUST OUR TOURISM ECONOMY HERE ACROSS THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.
AND, UH, IT IS BIG BUSINESS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VISITATION.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OVER 5 MILLION VISITORS COMING TO THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE ANNUALLY, WHO SPEND OVER $1.3 BILLION WITH A B, UH, THROUGHOUT THE TRIANGLE.
UH, AND WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAX REVENUE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, $65 MILLION IN TRAVEL RELATED TAX REVENUE.
AND OF COURSE THERE'S OVER 10,000 JOBS, UM, THAT ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SECTOR.
UH, IN TERMS OF VISIT WILLIAMSBURG AND THE WILLIAMSBURG TOURISM COUNCIL, OUR ORGANIZATION HAS 12, UH, FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS.
WE HAVE 11 MEMBERS WHO SERVE ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND I DO WANNA THANK SHEILA NOLL, UH,
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FOR HER CONTINUED SERVICE.UH, ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UM, THERE'S A 1% SALES TAX IN THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG, YORK COUNTY AND JAMES CITY COUNTY.
AND HALF OF THAT 1% COMES TO THE WILLIAMSBURG TOURISM COUNCIL WITH THE OTHER HALF OF THAT 1% GOING TO THE THREE MUNICIPALITIES.
AND SO WE ARE A MARKETING DRIVEN ORGANIZATION, AND WE'VE GOT SUCH A GREAT STORY TO TELL, UH, ACROSS THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE AND ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE DO POINTS VISITORS AND RESIDENTS TO OUR WEBSITE, UH, AT VISIT WILLIAMSBURG.COM.
AND WE, LIKE ANY OTHER MODERN COMPANY, UH, THESE DAYS, WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, UH, ON ALL OF THE MOST POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM FACEBOOK TO X TO INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, AND TIKTOK.
AND HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF POSTS THAT OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM PUTS OUT THERE TO THE WORLD ON A DAILY BASIS.
YOU CAN SEE A FEW EXAMPLES HERE, SPECIFICALLY HIGHLIGHTING THINGS TO DO HERE IN YORKTOWN.
UM, THIS PAST FALL, WE ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW SHOWCASE YORKTOWN THROUGH FOX FIVE IN WASHINGTON, DC.
UH, THEY SENT A CAMERA CREW DOWN TO HIGHLIGHT THINGS HAPPENING IN THE FALL SEASON IN THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.
AND OF COURSE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED, UH, YORKTOWN AS PART OF THAT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UH, WE WORK WITH A PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM THAT HELPS US LAND STORIES ABOUT THINGS TO DO AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.
AND THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THOSE, UH, PRESS RELEASES THAT HAVE MADE IT INTO THE MEDIA.
WE ALSO, UH, PARTICIPATE ON PODCASTS, WHICH HAVE BECOME MORE AND MORE POPULAR, UH, IN 2024.
AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THE 2025.
AND THE TYPES OF PODCASTS THAT OUR TEAM GETS INTERVIEWED ON, INCLUDE PODCASTS ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND JUST FOOD AND DINING IN GENERAL, BUT ALSO OFF THE BEATEN PATH, PLACES TO VISIT THROUGH PODCASTS LIKE ATLAS OBSCURA.
UH, WE ALSO OCCASIONALLY WILL BRING IN INFLUENCERS FROM OUT OF TOWN WHO WILL SPEND A WEEKEND IN THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR AUDIENCE.
AND THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE, UH, FROM THIS YEAR OF AN INFLUENCER THAT WE BROUGHT INTO THIS AREA WHO HAS CLOSE TO 70,000 FOLLOWERS, UH, WHO GET TO SEE SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT SHE POSTS ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS PAST SUMMER AND FALL WAS DISCOVER THE BEST BUDGET FRIENDLY THINGS TO DO IN THE WILLIAMSBURG AREA.
AND SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WORK WITH INFLUENCERS.
I'M ALSO HAPPY TO SHARE THAT OUR ORGANIZATION, UH, HAS A GREAT RELATIONSHIP, UH, WITH, WITH CHRISTIE AND DARREN HERE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THERE IS ONGOING COLLABORATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PLUGGING IN, UH, THINGS TO DO AND THINGS HAPPENING HERE IN YORKTOWN.
AND THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THOSE EXAMPLES WHERE WE'VE SHOWCASED YORKTOWN WITH ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, TRIPADVISOR.
UH, AND I'M JUST GONNA CLICK THROUGH SO YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE VISUALS, UH, THAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING THROUGH THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIPADVISOR, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VISIT, UH, YORKTOWN.
YOU CAN SEE HERE SOME OF THESE ARE DIFFERENT SHAPES, AND THAT'S INTENTIONAL.
SOME OF THESE, UH, IMAGES SHOW UP ON BANNER ADS ON WEBSITES.
SOME OF THEM SHOW UP IN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED, ET CETERA.
AND THEN WE ALSO WORK WITH CHRISTIE AND HER TEAM, UH, ON EMAILS WHERE WE SEND EMAILS OUT TO A LARGE DATABASE, UH, TO REMIND THEM OF THE EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND JUST TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO VISIT THIS AREA AND, AND HOPEFULLY SPEND MONEY TO POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE A SALES DIVISION, UH, WITHIN OUR COMPANY, AND THAT SALES DIVISION IS TASKED WITH ENCOURAGING GROUPS TO CHOOSE THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE FOR THEIR NEXT BIG EVENT.
SO OUR SALES TEAM WORKS WITH, UH, MEETINGS AND CONVENTION PLANNERS, SCHOOL GROUPS, RELIGIOUS GROUPS, MILITARY REUNION PLANNERS, ASSOCIATION LEADERS, SPORTS TOURNAMENTS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE.
UH, AND LOTS OF OTHER GROUPS THAT CAN FILL UP OUR
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HOTELS, UH, HERE IN THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.AND THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A FEW OF THE TRADE SHOWS AND CITIES THAT OUR SALES TEAM TRAVELS TO, TO TRY TO CONVINCE THESE BIG GROUP DECISION MAKERS TO CHOOSE OUR NECK OF THE WOODS.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PARTNERS, UH, WE'VE GOT NEW PARTNERS ON BOARD, UH, WORKING WITH US FOR 2025.
UH, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE CREATIVE ADVERTISING AGENCY THAT OUR TEAM WILL BE WORKING WITH AS WE ROLL OUT NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS THIS SPRING.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A NEW PR FIRM, MMGY GLOBAL WILL BE WORKING WITH US TO GET NEW FRESH STORIES OUT THERE THIS YEAR IN 2025, UH, TO THE MEDIA.
UH, BRAND FEDERATION IS A COMPANY WE'RE WORKING WITH ON THE SALE TWO 50 AND VIRGINIA TWO 50 MARKETING THAT YOU'LL START TO SEE, UH, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2025.
AND THEN WHITE 64 IS AN AGENCY THAT'S BASED HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH WHO'S GONNA HELP US DEVELOP OUR SPORTS MARKETING AS WE QUICKLY APPROACH THE OPENING OF OUR 200,000 SQUARE FOOT INDOOR SPORTS FACILITY, WHICH WILL OPEN IN 2026.
AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD SOME OF THESE NEW PARTNERS IN TOWN TO DO SOME IMMERSION AND GIVE THEM A TASTE OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE HERE IN YORKTOWN.
UH, I DO WANNA SHIFT GEARS QUICKLY AND JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BUSINESS SIDE OF WHAT WE DO.
AND WHEN YOU WORK FOR A COMPANY THAT PROMOTES TOURISM, WE'RE TYPICALLY MEASURED ON HOW OUR HOTELS AND MOTELS ARE PERFORMING.
UH, THE METRICS THAT WE LOOK AT ARE PROVIDED BY A COMPANY CALLED STAR.
UH, IT'S THE SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH COMPANY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT HERE THAT I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THE MOMENTUM FOR TOURISM AS WE HEAD INTO THE NEW YEAR.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LAST 14 WEEKS OF DATA FOR OUR HOTEL COMMUNITY, WE CAN SEE THAT OUR HOTELS HAVE BEEN FILLED UP MORE SO THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO, 11 OF THE LAST 14 WEEKS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED DATA.
UH, SO THAT'S ALWAYS AN ENCOURAGING SIGN WHEN YOU CAN LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OVER THREE MONTHS OF DATA AND SEE THAT YOUR NUMBERS ARE UP COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD ONE YEAR AGO.
UH, THAT IS ALSO THE CASE FOR WHAT WE CALL DEMAND.
IN OUR WORLD, DEMAND REPRESENTS THE NUMBER OF HOTEL ROOMS THAT ARE FILLED, AND THERE WERE CLOSE TO 15,000 MORE ROOMS THAT WERE FILLED OVER THE LAST 14 WEEKS COMPARED TO THAT, THOSE SAME 14 WEEKS, UH, IN 2023.
AND THERE'S GOOD REASON TO, UM, SEE WHY THOSE HOTEL ROOMS WERE FILLED.
UM, THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING EVENTS THAT HAPPEN HERE IN THE BACK HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VARIOUS EVENTS THROUGHOUT JUST THE FALL SEASON ALONE, THERE'S SUCH A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS TO DO.
AND THEN IT DOESN'T END THERE.
AS WE GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SEASON, THERE'S EVEN MORE EVENTS AND THINGS TO DO THROUGHOUT THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.
AND THIS IS JUST, I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL THESE IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, BUT YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE HAVE A LOT TO OFFER AS A TOURISM DESTINATION THAT LEADS ME INTO SPORTS, UH, WHICH IS ON THE HORIZON.
AND I JUST WANNA START BY SAYING THAT SPORTS TOURISM BUSINESS IS HUGE, UH, ESPECIALLY YOUTH SPORTS.
UH, MANY PEOPLE SAY THAT YOUTH SPORTS IS RECESSION PROOF.
IN FACT, LAST YEAR, UH, SPORTS TOURISM WAS A $91.8 BILLION ECONOMIC DRIVER, UH, THAT SUPPORTED OVER 600 AND THOU 630,000 FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME JOBS.
UH, I WANTED TO START WITH THIS PHOTOGRAPH BECAUSE THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF WHAT USED TO BE THE SECOND, OR USED TO BE THE LEADING, UM, SPORTS FACILITY IN TERMS OF SIZE IN NORTH AMERICA.
THIS FACILITY HERE IS OVER 700,000 SQUARE FEET.
THERE IS A DOME WITH AN INDOOR FIELD.
THERE'S INDOOR BASEBALL FIELDS, BASKETBALL COURTS, IT'S MASSIVE.
IT HAPPENS TO BE IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WAS FUNDED IN PART BY THE FAMILY THAT STARTED THE AUNTIE ANN'S PRETZEL BUSINESS, WHICH WAS BORN IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE DESTINATION WHERE
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I SERVED AS PRESIDENT AND CEO FROM 2020 THROUGH 2024 AT DISCOVER LANCASTER.AND I WAS FORTUNATE TO SEE HOW A GIANT SPORTS COMPLEX CAN POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
I GOT TO SEE THESE MASSIVE TOURNAMENTS TAKING PLACE AND SEEING ALL OF OUR RESTAURANTS FILLED UP, SEEING OUR HOTELS FILLED UP, AND IT WAS AWESOME.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THAT HAPPEN HERE WHEN OUR SPORTS FACILITY OPENS IN 2026.
AND AS I WAS SERVING AS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO IN LANCASTER, UH, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE SPORTS FACILITY SERVED ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND I WAS FORTUNATE TO GET TO LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF THE SPORTS BUSINESS.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT, UH, THE GREATER WILLIAMSBURG, UH, SPORTS AND EVENTS CENTER THAT WILL OPEN IN 2026, UH, IT'S NOT QUITE 700,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, WHERE I WAS PREVIOUSLY, BUT 200,000 SQUARE FEET IS STILL A VERY SIGNIFICANT, UH, SIZE INDOOR SPORTS FACILITY THAT WILL HAVE 12 BASKETBALL COURTS, RIGHT, THAT CONVERT TO 24 VOLLEYBALL COURTS, UM, INDOOR SOCCER FIELDS THAT CAN BE, UM, PLAYED ON TURF.
LOTS OF REALLY GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE SPORTS FACILITY THAT WE'RE GONNA OPEN.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, UM, THERE WAS 12.1 MILLION SPORTS VISITORS LAST YEAR.
UH, THE SPENDING WAS UP 12% PRIOR TO, OR, UM, EXCUSE ME, COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR.
UH, AND YOU CAN JUST SEE THERE ON THE SLIDE, UM, SPORTS BUSINESS IS, IS A BIG DEAL.
UM, AND WE DO HAVE A SPORTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, OBVIOUSLY CHRISTIE'S HERE TONIGHT.
UM, BRIAN FULLER'S HERE TONIGHT.
THEY BOTH SERVE, UH, ON OUR SPORTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
UM, PERIODICALLY WE'LL HAVE KEMPER SPORTS PARTICIPATE ON THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH KEMPER SPORTS, KEMPER SPORTS IS THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR THE NEW SPORTS FACILITY.
OUR NEXT SPORTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS COMING UP, IT'S GONNA BE ON JANUARY 6TH.
UH, WE'RE ALSO, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER TONIGHT, WORKING WITH AN AGENCY TO DEVELOP SPORTS MARKETING.
THAT AGENCY WILL BE DEVELOPING EMAILS FOR US, POP-UP BANNERS FOR TRADE SHOWS, UM, GIVEAWAYS WITH BRANDING, SPORTS BRANDING ON THOSE GIVEAWAYS, AND SOME OTHER PROJECTS AS WELL.
AND THE LAST SECTION I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UH, TONIGHT IS THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH A COMPANY WITH A FUNNY NAME.
AND WANGO, UH, IS A COMPANY THAT WAS A STARTUP IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY A FEW YEARS BACK THAT HAS TAKEN OFF, UH, TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE IT'S A COMPANY THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SET UP TOURS IN YOUR DESTINATION, UH, THAT ARE TIED TO GPS.
SO THEY CAN TRACK YOUR PHONE AS YOU TRAVEL AROUND THE DESTINATION, AND YOU CAN CHECK INTO PLACES AND EARN POINTS AS YOU VISIT THEM.
THEY ALSO ALLOW YOU TO PROVIDE DISCOUNTS TO LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT YOU CAN ACCESS ON YOUR PHONE.
SO IN OUR NEW WORLD OF GAMIFICATION AND SCAVENGERS HUNTS, IT'S FUN TO HAVE TOURS THAT WE CAN ROLL OUT TO GET VISITORS TO HOPEFULLY SPEND MONEY ACROSS THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE.
SO THE FIRST THING WE'RE DOING WITH BANDWAGON, AND YOU MAY HAVE SAW THIS IN THE NEWS ALREADY ON BLACK FRIDAY, WE ROLLED OUT THE HISTORIC HOLIDAY PASS AND THE HISTORIC HOLIDAY PASS THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ON YOUR PHONE FROM OUR WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTS ALL OF OUR HISTORIC MUSEUMS. UH, IT LISTS ALL THE EVENTS I SHOWED, UH, ON THE SCREEN A LITTLE WHILE AGO.
THERE ARE HOTEL AND DEALS, UM, AND THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO WIN PRIZES.
THIS PASS THAT I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DOWNLOAD, UM, WILL LAST THROUGH JANUARY 2ND, AND SOME OF THE PRIZES INCLUDE A, A GLASS BLOWN ORNAMENT WITH THE SYMBOL OF HOSPITALITY, THE PINEAPPLE, UM, DONE BY A LOCAL GLASSBLOWER WHO DOES A LOT OF WORK FOR COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG.
UM, ON THE HORIZON, UH, WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH WANGO ON ANOTHER TOUR.
UM, THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE HAS AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF PANCAKE HOUSES,
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AND WE WILL BE CELEBRATING THAT THROUGH A TOUR THAT WE WILL ROLL OUT IN FEBRUARY, ENCOURAGING VISITORS AND RESIDENTS TO VISIT AS MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS PANCAKE HOUSES AS POSSIBLE.YOU'LL BE ABLE TO REDEEM POINTS FOR SOME FUN PRIZES, INCLUDING A T-SHIRT WITH PANCAKES ON THE FRONT, AND A LIST OF ALL OF OUR AMAZING PANCAKE HOUSES ON THE BACK AND LOTS OF OTHER FUN THINGS.
BUT OUR TEAM IS GONNA LEAN INTO WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE AND SPECIAL, AND WE ARE GONNA CELEBRATE THAT IN 2025.
UM, 2025 ALSO IS A BIG YEAR FOR OUR PARTNERS, UH, AT BUSH GARDENS AND WATER COUNTRY.
IF YOU, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, FAMILIAR ALREADY, BUSH GARDENS WILL INTRODUCE A NEW ROLLER COASTER IN THE SPRING WATER COUNTRY.
WILL, UH, INTRODUCE A NEW WATER EXPERIENCE ON THEIR PROPERTY AS WELL IN 2025.
AND OF COURSE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE ALL OF THE FUN THINGS YOU CAN DO AT GREAT WOLF LODGE.
ALSO ON THE HORIZON THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IS VIRGINIA TWO 50 AND SALE TWO 50, WHICH IS GONNA BE REALLY BIG IN 2026.
WE'RE ALREADY HAVING MEETINGS ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA START PROMOTING THAT IN 2025 TO GET AHEAD OF CITIES LIKE PHILADELPHIA, BOSTON, AND WASHINGTON DC IN FACT, WE HAVE A MEETING, UM, AT OUR OFFICE TOMORROW WITH THE LEADERS FROM, UM, YORK COUNTY, JAMES CITY COUNTY, AND WILLIAMSBURG IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHERE WE'RE GONNA START, UM, SHARING IDEAS ON HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THESE TWO EVENTS HELP CREATE A NEW WAVE OF TOURISM.
UH, THAT'LL CATAPULT US INTO OUR NEXT, UH, BIG CHAPTER OF TOURISM HERE IN THE TRIANGLE, UH, IN 2026.
AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK CHRISTIE, UH, FOR HAVING OUR TEAM OVER HERE FOR A TOUR, UM, EARLIER IN THE FALL.
UH, THAT'S A PHOTOGRAPH OF OUR STAFF, UH, WITH DARREN, UH, CHRISTIE AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE.
BUT WITH THAT, I'M GONNA WRAP UP AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT OUR NEXT THREE BOARD MEETINGS FOR, UH, VISIT WILLIAMSBURG.
WE'LL BE RIGHT HERE IN YORKTOWN.
WE'LL BE AT THE FREIGHT SHED IN JANUARY.
WE'LL BE BACK IN MARCH AT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM, AND THEN IN MAY WE'LL BE AT THE NEW YORKTOWN LIBRARY.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN UP TO ANY QUESTIONS PEOPLE MAY HAVE.
ALRIGHT, MR. HARRIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GOOD PRESENTATION, MRS. NOLL, YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
ALL I WANNA SAY, ED IS YOUR ENTHUSIASM IS INFECTIOUS.
UH, YEAH, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY IT'S GREAT TO SEE MORE TOURISM COMING OUR WAY AND MORE TOURISM DOLLARS COMING OUR WAY AS WELL.
ALRIGHT, MR. SHEPHERD? YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE BRIEFING.
I, I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT SLIDE.
YOU SHOWED THE IMPROVEMENT, UH, THE, THAT WAS THE NUMBER OF ROOMS THAT WERE, THAT INCREASED FROM 23.
ALSO, I GUESS THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS THAT WERE COMING IN, I BELIEVE THAT WAS IN THERE.
UM, I WAS OVER AT A MEETING IN, UH, UM, VIRGINIA BEACH OR ACTUALLY IN CHESAPEAKE.
AND, UH, AND THE, UH, THE PRESENTATION THERE REALLY WAS NOT AS POSITIVE AS WHAT YOU ARE SHOWING.
UM, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A DECREASE IN TOURISM IN THIS PART OF VIRGINIA.
AND, UH, I, I'M GLAD TO SEE WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE GOT THERE.
UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S HOLDING UP OUR END, UM, OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE PROXIMITY EASY TO, TO RICHMOND OR WHATEVER, BUT IT WAS, UM, IT WAS, IT WAS KIND OF A DOWNER LISTENING TO THAT BRIEFING IN, UH, UH, BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE OVER THERE.
UM, AND IN YOUR, UH, IN YOUR PRESENTATION ABOUT THE SPORTS TOURISM.
SO YOU, YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH A 700, BASICALLY ABOUT 600,000, I THINK 620,000, 25,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY VERSUS A 200,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY, UH, THAT WAS PROJECTED HERE IN TWO, IN 26.
SO HOW DO YOU SEE THOSE TWO IN COMPARISON IN, I MEAN, I I, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THAT BIG ONE AND THEN IRIS LOOKS LIKE, LIKE ONE THIRD SIZE.
AND SO HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU, SO HOW DO YOU SEE THAT PLAYING OUT? YEAH, SURE.
UM, WELL FIRST I WANTED TO COMMENT ON YOUR FIRST POINT JUST TO CLARIFY.
UH, THE DATA I SHARED TONIGHT WAS FOR THE MOST RECENT 14 WEEKS, WE JUST CAME THROUGH MM-HMM
ON THE WHOLE, FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR, WE WILL LIKELY FINISH THE YEAR ABOUT FLAT TO THE PRIOR YEAR.
SO THE GROWTH HAS HAPPENED IN THE BACK HALF OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.
[00:30:01]
IMPORTANT.WHICH LEADS ME TO YOUR NEXT QUESTION.
UM, THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE CALENDAR YEAR IN MOST MID-ATLANTIC STATES, NORTHEASTERN STATES IS TYPICALLY THE SOFTEST QUARTER OF THE YEAR FOR TOURISM AND VISITATION.
AND THE CHALLENGE BECOMES, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRST QUARTER DOESN'T CREATE SUCH A HOLE THAT WE HAVE TO CLIMB OUT OF TO FINISH THE YEAR FLAT BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
WHERE THE SPORTS FACILITY COMES INTO PLAY IS THAT AS LONG AS WE CAN RECRUIT SPORTS TOURNAMENTS TO COME TO THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE IN THAT FIRST QUARTER, THAT WILL MITIGATE THE DROPS WE'VE BEEN SEEING HISTORICALLY IN THAT FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR.
AND WE ARE IN TALKS WITH, UM, BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS THAT CAN BRING IN ANYWHERE FROM 125 TO 175 TEAMS TO COMPETE OVER A WEEKEND.
WE'RE TALKING TO DANCE AND CHEER GROUPS, WE'RE TALKING WITH VOLLEYBALL GROUPS.
THERE IS A TON OF INTEREST ALREADY HERE AS WE CLOSE OUT 2024 FOR WHEN THAT FACILITY WILL OPEN IN 2025.
UM, YES, IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN THE LARGEST CENTER IN NORTH AMERICA, BUT THE, THE UPSIDE POTENTIAL TO HELP FILL OUR RESTAURANTS, FILL OUR HOTELS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SOFTER PERIODS OF THE YEAR, IS TREMENDOUS.
UM, AND SPECIFICALLY I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT FIRST QUARTER, UM, WHERE IN THE PAST WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE IN THAT FIRST QUARTER THAT COULD DRAW LARGE SCALE GROUPS.
THE SPORTS FACILITY WILL HELP CHANGE THAT.
PRETTY EXCITING LISTENING TO YOUR BRIEFING, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO, UM, SO YOU COVERED A LOT OF GROUND IN YOUR PRESENTATION, A LOT OF DETAILS THERE.
GETTING BACK TO THE, UM, I THINK YOU SAID THERE WERE 15,000 ADDITIONAL ROOMS RENTED OUT ROUGHLY SLIGHTLY UNDER THAT WAS 14 EIGHT.
SO, UM, SO THAT ALSO MEANS MORE PEOPLE GOING HAVE TO EAT RESTAURANTS SO FORTH, OR HOTEL OPERATORS, OUR RESTAURANT OPERATORS ABLE TO GET THE HELP THEY NEED TO ACCOMMODATE THE EXTRA PEOPLE.
AND THEN IF THINGS RAMP UP LIKE YOU'RE ANTICIPATING, UM, PROJECTION, CAN THEY GET THE HELP THEY THEY NEED? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, WORK WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS A HUGE TOPIC AND A HUGE CHALLENGE.
ARE WE, ARE THE, ARE OUR OPERATORS ABLE TO, UH, ADDRESS THAT OR THAT'S SOME SHORTCOMINGS THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION AND, YOU KNOW, OUR ORGANIZATION MAYBE CAN HELP OUT WITH? YEAH, AND THAT'S, IT'S A GREAT POINT.
UM, AND YES, IT IS A CHALLENGE.
UM, IT HAS IMPROVED SINCE THE PANDEMIC.
UH, THERE STILL ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE LOOKING FOR WORK IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.
UH, SPECIFICALLY JOBS LIKE, UM, HOUSEKEEPING, FRONT DESK POSITIONS AT HOTELS, LINE COOKS IN OUR RESTAURANTS.
THERE'S NOT AS MANY OPENINGS AS THERE WERE BACK COMING OUTTA THE PANDEMIC.
BUT YEAH, THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE TALK ABOUT.
UH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FULLY STAFFED UP FOR WHEN THE BIG CROWDS COME IN FOR THESE SPORTS TOURNAMENTS, FOR WHEN THE BIG CROWDS COME IN TO CELEBRATE THE 250TH.
UM, AND THE SALE TWO 50 VIRGINIA TWO 50, ALL OF THAT'S NOT THAT FAR AWAY FROM NOW.
AND SO I DO THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC WE NEED TO KEEP TOP OF MIND AS A COMMUNITY, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO HAVE THE, THE PROPER INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT, UH, WHAT'S COMING.
UH, AS GREAT AS IT IS, THE, ALL THE POSITIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WE'RE EXPECTING.
UM, WE'VE GOT ABOUT A YEAR, A LITTLE OVER A YEAR TO PREPARE FOR THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK PART OF THE RESPONSIBILITY THE ORGANIZATION AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS AS THEY DEVELOP THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING MORE PEOPLE IN, PEOPLE, WE GOTTA BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE TRYING TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.
OTHERWISE, IT ALL FALLS APART.
YOU GOTTA BE THERE TO HELP THAT TOO.
THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
[3.* 2024 County Top Accomplishments. Receive presentation from Mark L. Bellamy, Jr., County Administrator. ]
UM, NEXT, UM, WE'RE CALL MARK BELLAMY.HE'S GONNA PRESENT TO US, UM, THE COUNTY'S 2024 ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
THANK YOU, UH, WHILE, UH, MS. SCHS GETTING THAT UP, I HAVE A COUPLE OPENING COMMENTS FOR YOU.
UH, IF YOU RECALL, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AT A WORK SESSION, WE DID A 2024 CIP ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
SO I'D JUST SAY THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF, OF THAT PRESENTATION.
I THINK YOU ALL HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF.
WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT THE
[00:35:01]
STAFF TONIGHT, BUT WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE HERE ON THE BOARD.SO WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
UM, NUMBER TWO IS THAT WHILE WE GO THROUGH THESE, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THAT THEY ARE VERY CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THE BOARD'S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES.
WE SEE THAT SLIDE A LOT IN DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS THAT WE DO.
I'M NOT GONNA BRING IT TO YOU TONIGHT.
IT'LL BE ONE LESS, THERE'S ENOUGH SLIDES AS IT IS
SO, UH, BUT I DID WANNA POINT OUT THAT AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND THE THINGS THAT I'M GONNA SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THESE.
AND THEN THE LAST THING, BESIDES THE ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WE HAD, WE HAVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE DONE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS OVER THE LAST YEAR.
THEY'VE BEEN A, THEY'VE, THEY'VE GOTTEN AWARDS, THEY'VE SAVED LIVES, THEY'VE HELPED DELIVER BABIES, THEY'VE COMPLETED ACADEMIC, UH, WORK, ET CETERA.
UH, THERE IS, UH, I ASKED THE DIRECTORS FOR A LIST OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAD COMPLETED THINGS LIKE THAT.
UH, AND IT WAS REALLY EXTENSIVE.
IT'S TOO MUCH TO BRING TO YOU TONIGHT.
SO I DON'T WANNA REALLY PICK SOMEBODY OUT, UH, WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT EVERYBODY.
SO, AT YOUR PLACE TONIGHT IS A LIST OF THE FOLKS THAT WERE SUBMITTED TO US AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET DONE IN 2024.
SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT'S, UH, THANK YOU PART OF THIS CONVERSATION AS WELL.
WE'RE GONNA START TONIGHT WITH HUMAN RESOURCES.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COUNTYWIDE, UH, EVALUATION SYSTEM.
AND MS. MCKINNEY AND HER STAFF HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS.
WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO ROLLING THIS OUT.
WE'VE GOT SOME TRAINING TO DO ON OUR SIDE, BUT WE ARE REALLY PLEASED THAT WE ARE HERE KNOCKING ON THE DOOR THAT THIS IS REALLY GETTING READY TO HAPPEN FOR US.
SO THAT'S A, A GOOD THING FOR HUMAN RESOURCE.
UH, ANOTHER ITEM THAT HAS COME OUTTA HUMAN RESOURCES, WE'VE EXPANDED OUR OFFERINGS, UH, IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD.
UH, WE DO HAVE REQUESTS FOR HELP IN THIS AREA.
WE HAVE MADE A DECISION, UH, THAT WE ARE GONNA OFFER SOME ONSITE WORK INSTEAD OF SENDING FOLKS OFF TO COUNSELING.
SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THAT TOGETHER NOW AS WE SPEAK.
AND WE'VE, UH, DEVELOPED SOME CAREER LADDERS TO HELP RETAIN OUR FOLKS, CHALLENGE THEM AND DEVELOP THEM.
AND SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF ALL THAT WORK, UH, THAT'S DONE IN THE DEPARTMENTS.
AND THEN WHEN THE GUIDANCE OF MS. MCKINNEY AND HER GROUP AS WELL, UH, THE 9 1 1, UM, CENTER, THEY, UH, DO A LOT OF GREAT THINGS.
AS I RECALL, THEY HAD, UH, SOMETHING LIKE, UH, 20 LIFE SAVES THIS YEAR, AND THEY DELIVERED A FEW BABIES AS WELL.
SO THAT'S ALL PRETTY EXCITING STUFF.
THEY'RE STILL WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE JAMES CITY COUNTY, UH, CONSOLIDATION.
THAT SEEMS TO BE GOING PRETTY WELL.
AND THEN RECENTLY, UH, MR. HALL HAS BEEN INVOLVED, UH, IN CHANGING UP OUR, UH, SYSTEM.
SO WE, WE'VE KIND OF GOTTEN RID OF THE COPPER WIRE.
WE'VE GONE TO FIBER IN THE NEXT GENERATION 9 1 1, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO USE VIDEO, UH, THAT PEOPLE USE ON THEIR PHONES.
VIDEO CAMERAS THAT WE HAVE AROUND THE COUNTY WILL BE ABLE TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THOSE 9 1 1 CALLS.
SO NOT ONLY WILL WE HEAR IT, BUT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT AS WELL.
SO THAT'S THE NEXT STEP IN 9 1 1.
AND WE, AND WE ARE THERE, UH, MR. HALL IS ALSO WITH HIS STAFF, HAS DONE SOME UPGRADES, UH, TO OUR REGIONAL RADIO SYSTEM.
UH, THINGS LIKE NEW GENERATORS AND AIR CONDITIONING UNITS TO KEEP THE SERVERS COOL AT THE TOWERS.
UH, WE ALSO WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT TO HOW ALL THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
SO OVER THE LAST YEAR, 9 1 1 HAS TAKEN A LITTLE OVER 330,000 CALLS.
A DAY IS A 24 HOUR PERIOD ACROSS A STAFF OF, OF, OF 30 STAFFING LEVEL AT 15 FOR EACH, EACH SHIFT.
SO, UH, IT'S A MANAGEABLE NUMBER WHEN YOU DO THAT.
BUT IF YOU JUST LOOK AT IT LIKE IT IS AND DO THE MATH ON 365 DAYS A YEAR, YOU THINK THAT'S 900 CALLS.
HOW DOES ANYBODY ANSWER 900 CALLS? WHAT A GREAT, GREAT, UH, WORK THEY'RE DOING THERE.
AND SO OF THOSE CALLS, A LITTLE OVER 200,000 WE'RE ACTUALLY FOR SERVICE.
THERE'S A NATIONAL STANDARD THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW, HOW QUICKLY THESE CALLS SHOULD BE ANSWERED.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT OUR, OUR STAFF IN THE 9 1 1 CENTER EXCEEDS THE NATIONAL STANDARD IN EVERY CATEGORY.
[00:40:01]
WE SHARED THESE WITH YOU ABOUT HOW QUICKLY THAT PHONE GETS ANSWERED.SO WHEN IT'S IMPORTANT, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE THERE TO DO.
UH, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE ALL KNOW THAT WE, UH, OPENED A NEW SHERIFF'S OFFICE A LONG TIME COMING.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, THE SHERIFF, IF HE WAS HERE TONIGHT, I HAD A LITTLE CONVERSATION WITH HIM, UH, THE END OF LAST WEEK, AND HE CALLED, HE SAID, I HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU.
HE SAID THIS IN CERTAIN ZONES, AND I WON'T DIVULGE WHICH ONES, BUT IN CERTAIN SCHOOL ZONES, THE, THE, UH, INFRACTIONS HAVE DROPPED SO MUCH THAT THEY'RE GONNA MOVE THE CAMERAS
AND I MEAN, WHEN THIS ALL STARTED, THAT'S WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE END GAME WAS THAT WE WOULD GET THE SPEEDS DOWN, MAKE CHILDREN SAFER.
SO, UH, I THINK HE'S GOT A LOT TO BE PROUD OF THERE AS WELL.
AND THAT HAPPENED BASICALLY FOUR MONTHS.
IT, IT'S AMAZING, UH, HOW YOU CAN CHANGE SOMEBODY'S BEHAVIOR, UH, WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND SO THE SHERIFF HAS ALSO DONE SOME, UH, CAMPAIGNS, UH, NOT ONLY IN PERSON.
THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF, UH, TALKING OUT IN THE PUBLIC FACEBOOK ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SAFETY CAMPAIGNS FOR CAR BREAK-INS, WHICH HAS BEEN OUR NUMBER ONE CRIME FOR A LONG TIME.
UH, SO THEY'VE MADE SOME REAL PROGRESS ON THAT AS WELL.
AND THEN ALSO ON FRAUD, SPECIFICALLY SENIOR FRAUD, I THINK
AND, UH, SO THEY'VE MADE SOME REAL PROGRESS ON THAT.
AND, UH, IN MAJOR CRIMES WE'VE HAD A 21% REDUCTION IN.
AND, UH, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IT'S GOT A LOT TO DO WITH THE, WITH THE ROAD DEPUTIES AND BEING OUT THERE ON REGULAR PATROLS AND BEING OBSERVANT, ET CETERA.
SO THEY HAVE, UH, DONE SOME REALLY GREAT WORK THERE.
AND IF YOU RECALL, JUST A COUPLE, UH, I THINK LAST MEETING OR MEETING BEFORE LAST, UH, VACO WAS HERE MM-HMM
TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, MARGARET AND HER STAFF.
UH, SHE HAD A COUPLE STAFF MEMBERS WITH HER HERE, UH, THAT WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS FRIENDLY VISITOR PROGRAM, UH, THAT SHE ENACTED.
SO SHE'S HAD A LITTLE RECOGNITION FOR THAT.
SHE'S ALSO ONE OF ONLY TWO LOCALITIES, UH, IN THE STATE.
THERE ARE 120 SOCIAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE.
SHE'S ONE OF TWO IN THE ENTIRE STATE THAT MANAGED TO BACK OUT ALL THE MEDICARE, MEDICAID, EXCUSE ME, THAT CAME IN IN ADDITIONAL, UH, AT, AT, DURING THE TIME OF COVID MM-HMM
SO SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO, TO GET ALL THAT DONE.
SO THE STATE IS, UH, THEY ACTUALLY CALLED HER AND ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD TAKE ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S WORK,
SHE SAID, NO, I, I BELIEVE SHE DID
UH, SO SHE'S GOT SOME OPIOID MONEY TO WORK WITH.
AND THEN THE CHRIS HERRON PROJECT, UH, IS A BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB INITIATIVE.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE MAKE GOOD DECISIONS AND TEACHING GOOD HABITS.
SO, AND THEN ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES TEAM, THEY HAVE A GRANT THAT THEY'RE GONNA WORK ON, UH, TO, UH, LEARN ABOUT PREVENTING ELDER ABUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S, UH, SOME EXCITING STUFF THERE AS WELL.
ECONOMIC AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, UH, MR. HARRIS HAS STOLEN SOME OF OUR THUNDER TONIGHT, BUT WE, WE'LL STILL HAVE A FEW THINGS HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
UM, SO CHRISTIE HAS ROLLED OUT SOME VERY INNOVATIVE NEW, UM, PUBLICATIONS FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND WE, UM, ARE ARE HAPPY TO SEE THAT A LOT OF THAT STUFF WAS DATED AND IT WAS TIME MM-HMM
SO, UH, I'M TRYING TO, UH, FAST FORWARD HERE SO I CAN GIVE YOU A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF THAT.
DID I GO ONE SLIDE TOO FAR? I BELIEVE I DID.
SO THEY OFFERED A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, A GUIDE, A BUY LOCAL NEWSLETTER.
IT'S YOUR BUSINESS PRINT MAGAZINE, UH, INFOGRAPHICS AND BUY LOCAL VIDEO SERIES.
THOSE ARE ALL NEW AND REFRESHED THINGS THAT, UH, THE ECONOMIC TOURISM DEVELOPMENT GROUP IS DOING.
I KNOW THAT, UH, CHRISTIE AND DARREN WENT THROUGH THE GRANT PROGRAM WITH THE HELP OF THE EDA, TRYING TO SIMPLIFY THE GRANT PROCESS MM-HMM
SO THAT IT WOULD BE EASIER TO MAKE AWARDS, ET CETERA.
UH, I WILL REMIND ANYBODY THAT'S WATCHING THAT'S IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAVE TO APPLY.
SO, UH, WE WON'T CALL YOU, YOU GOTTA CALL US, UH, KING'S CREEK COMMERCE CENTER.
THEY'VE MADE SOME IMPROVEMENTS OUT THERE, AND IT'S RECOGNIZED
[00:45:01]
BY THE STATE AS A, UM, SITE READY AREA.SO THAT SHOULD HELP US ATTRACT SOME, UH, NEW PROSPECTIVE BUSINESSES.
AND THEN WE HAVE HAD, UH, CHRISTIE AND DARREN HAVE WORKED ON SOME EXPANSIONS AND RELOCATIONS, PROBABLY THE TWO THAT STRUCK ME THAT ARE, ARE THE MOST FAMILIAR TO YOU, UH, WILL SOON BE OPEN SHORTY'S.
I KNOW, UH, MR. RON AND I ARE VERY ANXIOUS FOR SHORTYS TO BE OPEN AND, UH, THE VIRGINIA BEER COMPANY AS WELL.
UH, THE VISIT YORKTOWN WEBSITE WAS REDESIGNED IMMEDIATELY.
GOT 7% MORE VISITORS WITH THE NEW DESIGN.
UH, THEY'VE ADDED SOME EVENTS AS WELL, SUCH AS THE WORK BOAT RACES, UH, THE PIRATE INVASION, THE MARITIME MARKET.
AND THEN AS YOU SAW ON THE, UH, GRAPHICS WHEN I FIRST BROUGHT ECONOMIC AND DEVELOP TOURISM DEVELOPMENT UP, UH, THE RESTAURANT WEEK WAS, WAS A VERY BIG SUCCESS ON ITS INAUGURAL, UM, TIMEOUT.
AND THE, THE AWARDS FOR THE, UM, INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS AND EVENTS, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CHRISTIE AND DARREN HAVE CREATED AND, AND THE EVENTS STAFF HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED, UH, BY THESE FOLKS.
THEY GOT AWARDS FOR THEIR INSTAGRAM SITE.
THERE WAS A GO GREEN MARKET, WE WERE AWARDED FOR THAT AS WELL.
AND THEN PAUSE AT THE RIVER, UH, FINANCE AND IT HAVE BEEN HARD ADDED AS WELL.
AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE OUT OF FINANCE, AND IT IS, UH, MOSTLY SOFTWARE STUFF.
SO THEY IMPLEMENTED A NEW UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM THAT ALLOWED CITIZENS TO GO IN THROUGH A PORTAL AND PAY THEIR BILL.
UM, THERE WERE 24,000 ACCOUNTS IN THERE, SO THAT ALL GOT CREATED AND ROLLED OVER FROM THE OLD SYSTEM.
SO THAT WAS A BIG UNDERTAKING.
UH, SO THERESA AND HER STAFF HAVE ALSO SUPPORTED THE COMMISSIONER REVENUE AND THE TREASURER ON THEIR NEW SOFTWARE OF EVENITY, WHICH IS UP AND RUNNING, UH, ALREADY FOR 24.
IT, UH, MR. WYATT AND HIS STAFF, UH, YOU MAY RECALL THIS, I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN A BOARD MEETING.
UH, TIM CAME AND GAVE THE SENIOR STAFF, UH, A LITTLE TUTORIAL ON AI AND WHAT IT COULD DO, WHAT IT COULDN'T DO, WHERE IT SHOULD BE TRUSTED AND WHERE IT SHOULDN'T BE TRUSTED.
SO THAT WAS A BIG HELP FOR THE STAFF TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHERE WE COULD ACTUALLY, UH, LAUNCHED SOME AI INITIATIVES.
AND I THINK IF YOU WANTED TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT AI, YOU COULD TALK TO, UH, TIM OR HEATHER, YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THE CHAT BOT THAT WE'VE ADDED TO OUR WEBSITE.
UH, TERRY'S DOING SOME WORK, UH, WITH AI AND RECOGNIZING, UH, FROM VIDEO WEAPONS, FACIAL RECOGNITION, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF AI OUT THERE FOR US TO THINK ABOUT.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, WE USED TO USE THE STANDARD SETUP FOR WE MONITORS, UH, FOR YOUR COMPUTER SET UP AT YOUR DESK.
WHAT TIM CAME UP WITH IS A LARGER CURVED MONITOR, BASICALLY GIVES THE SAME AMOUNT OF SCREEN SCREEN AREA, AND IT'S, IT'S LESS.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL LEARNING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO GO BACK TO ONE SCREEN AGAIN.
AND HIS STAFF, HIS, YOU KNOW, HE HAS A, UM, A STAFF THAT COMES OUT AND HELPS US WITH OUR COMPUTER PROBLEMS, WHETHER IT'S A, MY MOUSE DOESN'T WORK, MY PRINTER DOESN'T WORK, ET CETERA.
SO DURING 2024, THEY'VE HAD OVER 5,000 CALLS FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR HELP.
SO THAT KEEPS, UH, HIS SUPPORT STAFF REALLY BUSY.
AND THE LIBRARY, KEVIN'S HERE, AND KEVIN AND HIS STAFF ARE ONE OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WERE, UH, AWARDED THE VIRGINIA PUBLIC LIBRARY STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE GOLD AWARD.
THAT IS THE HIGHEST AWARD THAT THE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION PUTS OUT THERE.
SO, UH, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE OFFER AND, AND LIBRARY SERVICES.
KEVIN WANTED US TO KNOW THAT WE HAD A LITTLE OVER 6,000 IN 600,000 INDIVIDUAL CHECKOUTS, UH, AND 360,000, UH, PATRONS THAT CAME TO SEE, UH, THE LIBRARY FOR WHATEVER REASON, SOME OF 'EM CAME FOR PROGRAMS. UH, THERE WERE 1200 PROGRAMS OFFERED TO THE RESIDENTS OF YORK COUNTY.
AND, UH, OF THOSE 1200 PROGRAMS, 44,000
[00:50:01]
PEOPLE ATTENDED.SO THE LIBRARY, UM, DESPITE WHAT IT PEOPLE MIGHT WANT YOU TO BELIEVE IS ALIVE AND WELL.
COMMUNITY SERVICES NEXT UP, THEY'VE HAD A PRETTY BIG YEAR AS WELL.
WE HAVE SOME HOUSEKEEPING THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, ON, UH, HOUSING, UH, THIS YEAR.
UH, WE'VE ROUGHLY HELPED, UH, WITH THE HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR 380 HOUSEHOLDS.
WE'VE HAD SOME RENOVATIONS, UH, AT BAT CREEK PARK.
WE SAW IN THE, UH, UH, SEE IF I CAN'T GO BACK, UH, THE KAYAK LAUNCH AND THE DOG PARK AT BAT CREEK PARK.
BOTH OF THOSE ARE NEW, UH, THIS YEAR.
AND THEN, UH, UP AT GRIFFIN YATES, UH, WE DID SOME SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS UP THERE THAT WERE PRETTY, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
AND, AND IT WAS TIME FOR THEM TO HAPPEN.
UH, CAMERAS AND THEN, UM, ELECTRONIC LOCKS ON DOORS SAFEGUARD OUR CHILDREN.
UH, THE BIGGEST, UH, DEPARTMENT THAT YOU HAVE IN THE COUNTY, UH, BY THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, UH, HAD A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION WORK THEY GOT DONE THIS YEAR.
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT BUILDING, BRANDYWINE PUMP STATION, UH, FIRE STATION SEVEN.
AND THEN THOSE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT TO BAT CREEK PARK, THEY WERE ALL INVOLVED IN ALL OF THOSE.
AND THEY WANTED US TO SHARE SOME OF, UM, PHONE CALLS, SOME OF THEIR, UM, METRICS, PERFORMANCE METRICS AS WELL.
I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU THAT 25,000 OF THOSE CALLS WERE WASTE MANAGEMENT CALLS, AND THAT'S THE OFFICE OF, I BELIEVE, FOUR.
SO LAURIE HALPER AND HER STAFF DO SOME AMAZING THINGS.
AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S REALLY GOOD WORK.
THEY HAVE 42 LINEAR MILES OF ROADWAY THAT THEY CUT, AND THEN A HUNDRED MILES OF DRAINAGE EASEMENT.
AND THEY'VE PULLED A LITTLE MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, THEY DO, THEY DO PICK UP TRASH BEFORE THEY CUT THE GRASS.
UH, SO THEY PULL A LITTLE MORE THAN 5,000 POUNDS OF TRASH OFF THE ROADWAYS IN COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.
UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, HAVE BEEN WORKING ON RECENTLY, MOSTLY CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT WORK, UH, THAT KIND OF STARTED LAST YEAR WITH LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.
UM, WE'VE FLASH VOTE, WE'VE HAD THREE, UH, FLASH VOTES, UH, RECYCLING LIBRARY SERVICES, AND THE THIRD ONE ESCAPES ME AT THE MOMENT.
UM, BUT WE'VE ALLOWED SOME PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT LIKE THAT.
WE'VE LAUNCHED INSTAGRAM SITE AND I MENTIONED THE CHATBOT AS FAR AS AI.
AND THEN LAST, UH, BUDGET SEASON, WE HAD OUR FIRST TOWN HALL, UH, WHERE CITIZENS COULD COME ASK YOU ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND GET A BACK AND FORTH DIALOGUE WITH YOU, WHICH DOESN'T TRADITIONALLY HAPPEN IN THIS SETTING.
SO THAT WAS, UM, WHILE IT WASN'T A BIG ATTENDANCE, IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY.
YOU ALL WERE INVOLVED IN THE ADOPTION OF THE HOME-BASED BUSINESS, UH, ZONING ORDINANCE.
UH, YOU CAME UP WITH A POLICY ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER THING THAT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WAS, UH, INVOLVED IN, IN THE BUILDING INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT.
COREY CORIAN, IF I RECALL, I THINK THAT'S HIS LAST NAME, UM, HE'S, HE'S THE ASSISTANT BUILDING OFFICIAL THERE.
HE DID SOME TRAINING WHERE THEY INVITED, UH, CONTRACTORS FROM THE AREA IN MM-HMM
AND WHAT THEY DID WAS THERE WAS A, A NEW, UH, BUILDING REGS BOOK.
SO THEY BROUGHT 'EM IN AND SAID, HEY, HERE ARE THE CHANGES.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA LEARN ABOUT THE CHANGES IN THEIR REGULATIONS FOR BUILDING CODE, COME DO THIS.
IT'LL HELP YOU PASS MORE INSPECTIONS THE FIRST TIME AND YOU WON'T BE DOING REWORK.
SO THEY WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED, VERY WELL RECEIVED.
SO KUDOS TO THEM FOR, FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO HELP THAT COMMUNITY OUT FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY.
THEY UPDATED THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, AND IT SITS IN A NOTEBOOK ABOUT THAT THICK.
AND CHIEF SEGERBLOM AND CHIEF KKI, UH, REALLY PUT IN THE TIME ON THAT.
AND IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, REQUIRED TO BE UPDATED EVERY SO MANY YEARS.
WE HAD 11, UM, PEOPLE ON STAFF GET THEIR PARAMEDIC CERTIFICATION.
[00:55:01]
THAT'S SOME REAL COMMITMENT RIGHT THERE.'CAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A PROCESS ABOUT TWO YEARS, THEN YOU HAVE TO BE, UH, PRECEPTED BEFORE YOU'RE LET GO ON YOUR OWN.
SO IT, IT IS A PROCESS THOSE PEOPLE ARE REALLY TO BE COMMENDED FOR, FOR GOING THROUGH ALL THAT.
AND WE WANT 'EM TO BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO IT AS WELL.
UH, THE BOARD, UH, VOTED IN THE CIPA COUPLE YEARS AGO, UH, TO PUT A UNIT MEDIC.
YEAH, MEDIC UNIT AT STATION SEVEN.
SO THAT'S THERE, UH, THE CHIEF WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THEY HAD, UH, 13,000 CALLS, UH, INCIDENT CALLS.
THE AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME WAS JUST ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES.
AND THEY TRANSPORTED 62 LITTLE OVER 6,200 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL.
AND AGAIN, I I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THE INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE SITTING, SITTING AT YOUR SEATS TONIGHT.
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHO FINISHED A CERTIFICATE OR PARAMEDIC, OR HAD A LIFE SAVE, ET CETERA, THOSE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU.
IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE THOSE.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? NO QUESTIONS.
NO, IT'S JUST, WELL, NO QUESTIONS, BUT, UH, YEAH, IT WAS, UH, TOOK A, YOU KNOW, IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK FOR THE STAFF, UM, AND, UH, WE'RE JUST, I MEAN, OVER THE DECADES, IT'S JUST BEEN JUST SUCH A WONDERFUL STAFF.
YOU GUYS HAVE DONE SUCH A TREMENDOUS JOB FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY.
UH, WE, WE, UH, OWE YOU A REALLY, A DEBT OF GRATITUDE THAT FOR YOUR GOING WAY BEYOND WHAT YOU'VE ASKED, UH, WHAT YOU'RE ASKED TO DO.
SO I, I'M, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD STUFF ABOUT YOU GUYS.
UH, I MEAN, WE, WE SIT UP HERE AND CAN MAKE DECISIONS, BUT WE MAKE DECISIONS BASED UPON THE INPUTS THAT WE GET AND WHAT WE KNOW.
BUT YOUR, YOUR WORK HAS JUST BEEN TREMENDOUS, UH, IN SERVING THE CITIZENS OF YORK COUNTY.
SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR THE TREMENDOUS HARD WORK.
AND YOU, YOUNG FOLKS OVER HERE, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS PART OF THAT.
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S TREMENDOUS.
IT'S A TREMENDOUS RESPONSIBILITY AND, UH, TAKING IT SERIOUS, UH, HAS, UH, HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON YOUR ENVIRONMENT AND THE PEOPLE THAT YOU DEAL WITH.
YEAH, THANKS MARK FOR THE, UH, UPDATE AND, UH, KUDOS TO EVERYONE ON STAFF AND IS INVOLVED AT YORK COUNTY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT'S RAPIDLY CHANGING, AS WE ALL KNOW.
UM, YOU KNOW, MY WIFE'S GRANDFATHER PASSED AT 95 AND, AND WE WOULD SIT AND TALK AND HE REMEMBERED DAYS WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE ELECTRICITY AND IT WAS AN OUTHOUSE.
AND, AND HE SAW US COME TO THE COMPUTER AGE, YOU KNOW, AND SO HE SAW, UH, JUST A COM COMPLETE RAPID CHANGE OF WHAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE IN HIS 95 YEARS.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S KIND OF A, A LESSON TO, ESPECIALLY YOUNGER FOLKS, BECAUSE WHAT YOU SEE NOW IS GONNA BE VASTLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU SEE IN 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 YEARS.
UM, BUT WE ARE LIVING IN A VERY RAPIDLY CHANGING SOCIETY.
AND, UH, WITH THE NEW AI AND ALL THESE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL THINGS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, UM, I HAVE TO ASK MY, MY KIDS, UH, HOW TO DO THAT, SAY KIDS, MY YOUNG ADULT CHILDREN, UM, WHEN I HAVE SOME KIND OF TECHNICAL ISSUE.
BUT, UM, A LOT OF GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
WE HAVE SOME FANTASTIC PEOPLE WORKING AT YORK COUNTY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MY HAT'S OFF TO ALL OF THOSE THAT SAVE LIVES IN 9 1 1 CENTER AND FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY, OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, EVERYBODY OUT THERE IS DOING A, A GREAT JOB.
I LIKE TO LOOK AT THIS BOARD AS THE TALKING HEADS, BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO WORK DAY BY DAY EVERY DAY, PUT, PUT IN ALL THE HOURS, TAKE ALL THE CLASSES THAT THEY ARE, THAT ARE NEEDED, THAT MAKES THIS COUNTY WHAT IT IS.
AND WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.
AND THE IDEA IS, IS THE ENTHUSIASM THAT I SEE WHEN I SEE PEOPLE AND I TALK TO THEM AND I LOOK AT THE LONGEVITY OF, OF HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE HAVE WORKED FOR US YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.
THAT DEDICATION IS SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
AND WHEN I LOOK AT THIS LIST OF ALL THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE, THE EXTRA TRAINING THEY'VE TAKE TO MAKE THEIR JOB BETTER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I REALLY WANNA SAY EXCEPT THAT THANK GOODNESS
[01:00:01]
THAT WE HAVE YOU WORKING FOR US HERE IN YORK COUNTY, AND THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH.YEAH, MR. BELLA, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, BOTH WITHIN COUNTY STAFF AND I SIDE COUNTY STAFF, PROVIDE THE, THE, THE INPUT, UH, TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE, YOU GET THE END OF THE YEAR AND YOU GO, WOW, I WORK REALLY HARD.
BUT YOU ASK YOURSELF, WELL, WHAT DID YOU ACCOMPLISH? WHAT DID YOU DO TO DRIVE THE BUSINESS FORWARD? AND THAT'S WHY I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT, WELL, LET, LET'S, LET'S LOOK AT THAT, THE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE TOO.
WHAT DID THE COUNTY ACCOMPLISH? WHAT DID, HOW DID WE MOVE THE COUNTY FORWARD? AND YOU HAD A LOT, LOT OF GREAT EXAMPLES THERE.
UM, A LOT OF INNOVATIVE STUFF.
YOU KNOW, AI IMPLEMENTATION, THE, THE, THE METRIC BASED, UH, UH, PERFORMANCE EVALUATION WE HADN'T DONE BEFORE.
UH, I THINK ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE MOVING THE, THE COUNTY FORWARD.
AND IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS AND DEPARTMENTS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE IN THE COUNTY AS WELL.
IT'S NOT JUST COUNTY STAFF JUST DOING PAPERWORK.
THERE'S A LOT OF HANDS-ON WORK, THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNICAL WORK, LOT, LOT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OUT THERE.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME, PUTTING IT TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, COUNTY STAFF, YOU ALL SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR THE WORK YOU DID TO MOVE THE COUNTY FORWARD.
NEW IMPLEMENTATIONS OF VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO, YOU KNOW, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF YORK COUNTY AND YORK COUNTY CITIZENS.
UM, AND IT MAKES ME EAGER TO SEE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN 2025.
[CITIZENS' COMMENT PERIOD]
RIGHT.WITH THAT, WE ARE MOVING INTO THE CITIZENS COMMENT PERIOD.
UH, I HAVE THREE FOLKS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND FIRST UP IS POO SHOW.
BEFORE I BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO JUST ALSO REITERATE THANK YOU TO THE STAFF OF THE COUNTY THAT HAVE MADE THINGS SO MUCH BETTER FOR THE COUNTY.
AS DON'T FORGET THE SCHOOL BOARD TOO AND ALL OF THEIR STAFF, MY NAME IS PAM PAU.
I RESIDE AT 1 0 3 KIMBERLY COURT.
THE NEXT PHYSICAL YEAR'S BUDGET IS BEING FORMULATED.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU ARE DISCUSSING THE POTENTIAL OF THE HIGHER THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE INCOMING FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.
IF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS DISSOLVED AND BLOCK GRANTS ARE GIVEN TO THE STATES, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE HOW MUCH MONEY YORK COUNTY WILL RECEIVE IN 2023.
WE RECEIVE $1,809 PER ATTENDING STUDENT.
IF VOUCHERS ARE ENACTED, WE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PRIVATE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND COUNTY SCHOOLS.
SOME EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS NOW FEDERALLY FUNDED, WILL CEASE TO EXIST IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO FUND THEM OURSELVES.
IF TARIFFS GO INTO EFFECT, COSTS WILL RISE ON IMPORTED ITEMS. EVEN THOUGH SOME ITEMS ARE LABELED MADE IN AMERICA, IT MAY REALLY MEAN ASSEMBLED IN AMERICA FROM IMPORTED PARTS WITH IMPENDING IMMIGRATION DETENTION.
OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE MAY, UH, REQUIRE MORE FUNDING IF THE FEDS DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES OF CARRYING OUT THEIR DEMANDS.
WE HAVE BEEN TOLD FAILURE TO COOPERATE WILL RESULT IN THE CESSATION OF ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT, FEDERAL FUNDING AND KIN WANTS TO CEASE ALL STATE FUNDING OF THE LOCALITY.
TRUMP WANTS TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE FEDERAL BUDGET.
I AM SURE AS TIME GOES ON, WE WILL SEE HOW THE STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WILL HAVE TO CARRY A LARGER BURDEN OF FUNDING WITH WHAT WE TAKE.
NOW, TAKE FOR GRANTED, NORFOLK IS CONCERNED THAT FUNDING FOR THEIR SEAWALL MAY BE IN JEOPARDY.
TRUMP SAYS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WILL BE FIRED.
MANY WHO RESIDE IN VIRGINIA INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, YOU DO NOT REDUCE SPENDING WITHOUT CUTTING SOMETHING OR FINDING THE FUNDING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
THE QUESTION IS, WHERE WILL THESE FUNDS COME FROM? WILL WE INCREASE OUR STATE AND LOCAL TAXES? WE ALREADY HAVE THE HIGHEST SALES TAX IN VIRGINIA.
MAY I MAKE A SUGGESTION? AND YES, IT'S SNAR.
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT, AFTER WINNING THE ELECTION, CONTINUES TO HAWK NEW OVERPRICED PRODUCTS WITH HIS NAME ON THEM, SUCH AS GUITARS, LANDSLIDE BOOTS, AND MEN'S COLOGNE AS WELL IN SELLING HIS NAME FOR TWO MULTIMILLION DOLLAR REAL ESTATE DEALS.
IN SAUDI ARABIA, PERHAPS THE COUNTY CAN COME DO THE SAME.
UH, TO RAISE FUNDS, WE COULD SELL HISTORIC YORKTOWN POOPER SCOOPERS, YORK COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PLAYING CARDS WITH THEIR IMAGES WEARING HISTORICAL COSTUMES.
YORK COUNTY BIBLES THAT INCLUDE THE COUNTY CODE IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BOTTLED O TO WETLANDS AT LOW TIDE OR CEREMONIAL KEYS TO THE REGIONAL JAIL.
SELL AN OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR COUNTY BUSINESSES THAT PROPERLY SUCK UP.
USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO MAKE AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF MONEY SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIGHER TAXES TO FUND THE FEDERALLY INDUCED LOSS OF A MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN THE COUNTY.
UH, WHO CHOSE TO SUPPORT THIS.
I'M NOT A BILLIONAIRE, NOR DO I HAVE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN INCOME ON A YEARLY BASIS, SO I CAN'T RELY ON FEDERAL TAX CUTS, BUT WE DO NEED SNARK ASIDE TO CONSIDER
[01:05:01]
THAT WE MAY BE SHORT ON FUNDS.NEXT UP I HAVE, UH, JIM CLAYTON.
THAT'S WHEN I MOVED MY FAMILY TO THIS MUNICIPALITY.
MR. CLAYTON, COULD YOU START OFF WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE? IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE EVERY YEAR AND DURING THAT TIME, I MOVED FROM, I'M SORRY.
COULD YOU START OFF WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PLEASE? I'M SORRY.
MOVED HERE IN 1970, RAISED THREE CHILDREN AND WENT TO TAB HIGH SCHOOL AND WE, UH, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY PROUD RESIDENTS.
I WAS 10 YEARS WITH IBM IN MARKETING, THEN I MOVED INTO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HERE IN THE COUNTY.
UM, DEVELOPED A VICTORY INDUSTRIAL PARK.
UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE, SHEILA, AND I KNOW WE GO WAY BACK.
BUT ANYWAY, BACK IN THE NINETIES, DEVELOPED A THOUSAND HOUSES, DEVELOPED A VICTORY INDUSTRIAL PARK.
IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING GLEN LAUREL AND GRAFTON WOODS, THE DESPERATE YORK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD NEEDED LAND FOR A NEW HIGH SCHOOL.
THEY APPROACHED US TO BUILD GRAFTON HIGH SCHOOL.
WE SOLD THE LAND AT OUR COST TO THE YORK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD.
SOME SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH REAL ESTATE HERE IN THE COUNTY.
AND I'M AMAZED LISTENING TO EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD TONIGHT.
THE TRAGEDY IS WHY CAN'T THE REST OF OUR COUNTRY BE LIKE YOUR COUNTY? WITH ALL THE TRAGEDY THAT WE SEE AND HEAR, IT'S REALLY SAD.
BONNIE AND I ARE HERE ON SORT OF A DIFFERENT NOTE.
WE HAVE A 3.2 ACRE LA LOT AT THE END OF OLD WORMLEY CREEK ROAD.
IT'S A TRIANGULAR LOT, AND THERE'S A HANDOUT TO GIVE TO EACH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THERE FROM AN ADVERTISING SHEET THAT SHOWS A BARCODE, THAT SHOWS A DRONE PRESENTATION OF THIS 3.2 ACRE WATERFRONT TRIANGULAR LOT ON WORMLEY CREEK.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S TRIANGULAR AND HAS TWO SIDES ON THE WATER, THE RPA IS ON THIS SIDE, AND THE RPA IS ON THIS SIDE.
MOST WATERFRONT LOTS ARE RECTANGULAR OR SQUARE, AND THE RPA APPLIES TO THE REAR WHERE THE WATER IS.
THIS LOT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY CLOSED DOWN BY THE DICTATION OF THE RPA.
ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE ROAD THAT GOES DOWN THERE, WHICH IS THE END OF OLD WORMLEY CREEK ROAD.
YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND YOU SEE PROPERTY, YOU, YOU COME TO A CONCLUSION THAT THE ROAD BELONGS TO VDOT
MS. CLAY, WE NEED TO ASK YOU TO GET TO A CONCLUSION.
BUT THE LAST THREE, 300 FEET OF THAT ROAD DOESN'T BELONG TO VDOT.
SO IN THE PROCESS OF PRESENTING THIS 3.2 ACRE LOT AND ACCESS, AT ONE POINT, MARK CARTER SAID, WELL, JIM, YOU, YOU CAN'T PUT YOUR ENTRANCE THERE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T PUT MY ENTRANCE THERE? IT'S 300 FEET MARK.
HE SAID, THAT'S NOT VDOT ROAD.
THEN BRIAN, MR. MR. CLAYTON, I HATE, I HATE TO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT YOU'RE AT THE END OF YOUR THREE MINUTES.
I'M GETTING READY TO WRAP IT UP RIGHT NOW.
I'M, I'M BRINGING THIS TO YOUR, YOUR, YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE WE'RE DESPERATE IN THE FACT THAT IN THAT PACKAGE THERE IS A $675,000 CASH CONTRACT.
WE THOUGHT WE HAD SOLD THE PROPERTY.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THERE, INCLUDING A PUMP STATION THAT YOUR COUNTY HAS BUILT ON MY PROPERTY, OUR PROPERTY, UH, THE, THE COUPLE THAT HAD THE, THE PURCHASING THE CONTRACT FOR $675,000 CASH BACKED AWAY.
[01:10:01]
ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THAT LOT, IT'S AN IMPOSSIBLE BILL AND THE PROPERTY ISN'T WORTH REALLY ANYTHING.AND SO TALKING ABOUT, I'M GOING BEFORE THE APPLICATION WITH THE CHESAPEAKE BAY, I'VE ALREADY BEEN TO THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
I'VE BEEN TO, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, WHAT IS IT IN PHILADELPHIA? ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS, THIS PACKAGE.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS UP TO OUR ATTENTION.
I KNOW, I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA BE TAKING A LOOK AT THIS CLOSE.
UM, APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR INPUT NIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GIVING ME A FEW MOMENTS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DESPERATE AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP THAT YOU CAN RENDER.
AND NEXT UP WE HAVE BRUCE KEENER.
RESIDE AT 1 5 2 WEST QUEENS DRIVE IN WILLIAMSBURG IN THE QUEENS LAKE SUBDIVISION.
BACK ON NOVEMBER 11TH, A GROUP OF QUEENS LAKE RESIDENTS SUBMITTED A LETTER TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WITH A LETTER FULL OF QUESTIONS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS CONCERN THE VALIDITY OF THE SECOND AGREEMENT BETWEEN YORK COUNTY AND QUEENS LAKE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION AND THEIR EASEMENTS.
THE COUNTY'S APPROACH IN TAKING FUNDING AND TAXES FROM A SELECT GROUP, QUEENS LAKE ASSOCIATION, 400 HOMES TO PAY FOR WORK IN THE GREATER QUEENS LAKE DRAINAGE BASIN, WHICH HAS OVER A THOUSAND HOMES.
AND THE QUESTION OF THE ONGOING AND HISTORIC USE OF QUEENS LAKE, A PRIVATE LAKE FOR THE PUBLIC PURPOSE OF STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AS ONE SUPERVISOR CALLED IT, THE COUNTY BMP, WITHOUT COMPENSATING QUEENS LAKE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION.
SO TONIGHT I'M HERE TO RESUBMIT THIS LETTER AS THIS GROUP CONTINUES TO TALK TO OUR NEIGHBORS AND TO KEEP ON SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS TO OUR QUESTIONS.
I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
IS ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO COME SPEAK AT THIS TIME? ALRIGHT, CNL I'M GONNA
[COUNTY ATTORNEY REPORTS AND REQUESTS]
CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND MOVE ON TO, UH, COUNTY ATTORNEY REPORTS.ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MR. HILL.
[COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS AND REQUESTS]
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION REPORTS.MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, QUICKLY, I, AS MR. CHER POINTED OUT, WE, WE ARE IN THE BUDGET SEASON AND, UH, WE DID RELEASE, UH, OUR OPENING BUDGET VIDEO TODAY ASKING FOR INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC.
IT'S POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE ARE CERTAINLY HOPEFUL THAT THE RESIDENTS WILL USE THAT FOR INPUT.
UM, NUMBER TWO, UH, TWO OF OUR MEMBERS, UH, HAVE HAD OR WILL HAVE BIRTHDAYS HERE VERY SHORTLY.
SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOTH OF YOU ON THAT END,
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A, A QUICK RECESS AND THEN WE WILL COME BACK AND DO THE, UM, PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL RIGHT, FOLKS, WE'RE BACK FROM RECESS.
[4. Application No. YVA-57-24, Jeffery and Holly Vance. Consider adoption of proposed Resolution R24-175 to approve an application to authorize a tourist home in an existing dwelling at 114 Ballard Street.]
I'M GONNA MOVE INTO PUBLIC HEARING.UH, WE HAVE THE FIRST THING IS APPLICATION NUMBER YVA 57 24, UH, A, UH, APPLICATION FOR A TOURIST HOME.
MR. ROMAN, YOU GO, YOU'RE GONNA SHARE WITH SOME INFORMATION.
GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THIS APPLICATION IS A REQUEST FOR A YVA PERMIT TO AUTHORIZE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TAURIST HOME IN AN EXISTING SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED DWELLING LOCATED AT ONE 14 BALLARD STREET.
THE PROPERTY IS SITUATED IN A POINT 21 ACRE PARCEL LOCATED IN THE YORKTOWN VILLAGE ACROSS THE STREET FROM YOUR CALL.
THE SUBJECT PARCEL HIGHLIGHTED IN PINK AND THE SURROUNDING PARCELS ARE ZONED YVA FOR YOURTOWN VILLAGE ACTIVITY.
THIS IS AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE PROPERTY.
THE ZONING ORDINANCE REQUIRES THE OWNER TO EITHER RESIDE IN THE HOME OR IN AN ADJACENT PREMISE OR DESIGNATE A RESPONSIBLE PARTY WHO CAN RESPOND AND RESOLVE PROBLEMS OR COMPLAINTS THAT ARISE WHILE RENTALS ARE TAKING PLACE.
ALSO, THE BOARD POLICY STATES THAT THE OWNER OF A TOURIST HOME SHOULD RESIDE EITHER IN THE HOME OR IN AN ADJACENT PREMISE.
THE APPLICANTS HAVE STATED IN THEIR NARRATIVE THAT
[01:15:01]
THEY WILL STAY IN THE HOME WHILE THE HOUSE IS BEING RENTED, MAKING THIS CONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND THE BOARD POLICY.THIS IS A BIG PICTURE OF THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY.
ANOTHER PICTURE HERE OF THE PARKING AREA.
AND MR. VANCE, UH, THE APPLICANT PROVIDED STAFF WITH A PARKING SKETCH PLAN.
THE SUBJECT PROPERTY HAS APPROXIMATELY 2,700 SQUARE FEET AND THIS IS A SKETCH PLAN OF THE FIRST FLOOR.
THE APPLICANTS WISH TO MAKE TWO BEDROOMS AVAILABLE UP TO FOUR GUESTS AT A TIME WITH LENGTHS OF STAYING RANGING FROM ONE NIGHT TO SEVEN NIGHTS, AND GUESTS WILL BE STAYING IN BEDROOM TWO AND OR FOUR AND THEY WILL HAVE ACCESS TO BATHROOM.
STAFF HAS PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE TOURIST HOME TO RENT TWO BEDROOMS. THE RENTAL OF INDIVIDUAL ROOMS WILL BE PROHIBITED AGAIN WITH AN OCCUPANCY OF UP TO FOUR GUESTS AND LENGTHS OF STATE RANGING FROM ONE NIGHT TO SEVEN NIGHTS.
IN ADDITION, THE APPLICANTS HAVE STATED THAT THEY DO NOT WISH TO HAVE SIGNS ADVERTISING THE HOME.
THEREFORE, STAFF HAS PROPOSED A CONDITION OF APPROVAL THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THEM AND THIS YBA PERMIT WOULD TERMINATE UPON THE TRANSFER OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.
THIS IS A MAP OF THE SHORT-TERM RENTALS WITHIN THE VILLAGE.
CURRENTLY, SEVERAL APPROVED SHORT-TERM RENTAL HOMES OPERATE IN THE YVA DISTRICT.
THESE INCLUDE TWO BED AND BREAKFAST ESTABLISHMENTS, THE MAR, THE MAR INN, AND THE HORNSBY HOUSE INN, AND THREE TOURIST HOMES, THE TWO YORKTOWN COTTAGES AND TWO 10 AMBLER STREET ADDITION.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, THE PLANNING COMMISSION REVIEWED A TOURIST HOME APPLICATION IN THE YORKTOWN VILLAGE FOR 6 0 6 MAIN STREET.
THE APPLICANT'S PROPOSAL MEETS THE STANDARDS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND IS CONSISTENT WITH THE TYPE AND INTENSITY OF PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TOURIST HOMES.
AND STAFF BELIEVES THAT THE ADDITION OF ANOTHER TOURIST HOME IN THIS AREA IS NOT LIKELY TO DEGRADE.
THE CHARACTER OF THE VILLAGE STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THIS APPLICATION AND THE CONDITION SET FORTH IN PROPOSED RESOLUTION NUMBER R 24 1 75.
THE APPLICANT IS HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
WE'LL START DIANE WITH, UH, MR. SHEPHERD.
HOW ARE THE NEIGHBORS, UM, WITH THIS, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY PHONE CALLS OR ANY EMAILS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS OR ANY, UH, NEGATIVE COMMENTS.
OKAY, BUT THE NEIGHBORS ARE AWARE YES.
THEY'RE THAT THIS IS IN PROCESS? YES, THEY'RE OKAY.
AND YOU, YOU SAID EARLIER THAT THE OWNER WOULD BE ONPREM WHILE THE THE, UM, DWELLING IS BEING RENTED OUT? YES.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, CITIZENS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS MATTER? ALL RIGHT, SEE YOU.
I WILL CLOSE THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR IT.
UM, I'LL MOVE, UH, IF I MAY, SIR.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
YOU NEED A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? THE MOTION MADE BY MRS. NOLL IS TO ADOPT PROPOSED RESOLUTION R 24 DASH 1 75 TO APPROVE THE APPLICATION AS SUBMITTED.
[5. York County Purchasing Ordinance. Consider adoption of proposed Ordinance No. 24-20 codifying, reorganizing, and amending the York County Purchasing Ordinance currently number as O23-3, to incorporate provisions mandated by the Code of Virginia Section 2.2- 4343(A)(12), the single vehicle purchase limit, Board of Supervisor approval limits for purchases, allowance for the submission of bids and proposals electronically, p-card purchase limits, use of category B vendors for smaller professional services, bond requirements for individual projects, and various administrative matters. ]
NEXT ITEM IS, UH, ORDINANCE NUMBER 24 DASH 20, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE YORK COUNTY PURCHASING ORDINANCE.MS. OWENS, YOU'RE HERE TO TALK TO US ABOUT THIS NIGHT.
I HAD TO PULL THE MIC DOWN JUST A TAD.
UM, SO BY LAW WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR DISCUSSION REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASING ORDINANCE.
SO WE DID ADVERTISE THIS ON DECEMBER 2ND AND DECEMBER 9TH.
SO THE REQUESTED REVISIONS FALL IN THREE CATEGORIES, BASICALLY.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS TO ALIGN WITH CHANGES MADE TO VIRGINIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT, INCREASES TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVED THRESHOLDS, AND THEN JUST SOME ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES
[01:20:01]
OR HOUSEKEEPING CHANGES FOR CLARITY.IN ADDITION TO THOSE CHANGES, WE ARE, UM, CODIFYING THIS PURCHASING ORDINANCE INTO THE COUNTY CODE.
UM, WE FELT LIKE IN THE, UH, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, UH, MAKING THIS AS PART OF THE COUNTY CODE MAKES IT EASIER TO MAKE ANY CHANGES GOING FORWARD.
SO I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE MAJOR CHANGES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S VARIOUS CHANGES IN HERE, BUT THESE ARE JUST THE MAJOR CHANGES.
THE FIRST ONE HAS TO DO WITH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UM, APPROVAL LIMITS FOR PURCHASING.
SO THE LAST, UM, PURCHASING AUTHORITY LIMITS WERE LAST UPDATED IN 2012.
UM, AND AS YOU'VE KNOWN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE COST OF ROUTINE PURCHASES HAVE GROWN.
SO WE ARE ACTUALLY, UH, RECOMMENDING IN THIS, UM, REVISION TO HAVE THAT AUTHORITY INCREASE TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR ANYTHING THAT IS NOT IN THE CIP AND $250,000 FOR ANYTHING THAT IS IN THE CIP.
SO UPDATING THE BOARD LIMITS TO 102 50, UH, WE WANNA ENSURE THAT THE AUTHORITY KEEPS PACE WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND THE RISE IN COST OF THOSE GOODS AND SERVICES, AND ENSURES OUR PURCHASING PROCESS REMAIN EFFICIENT AND RESPONSIVE TO THE COUNTY'S GROWING OPERATIONAL NEEDS, WHICH HELPS US BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.
ALL THE PURCHASES UNDER THE REVISED LIMIT WILL STILL CONTINUE TO ADHERE TO THE BOARD'S, UM, ADOPTED BUDGET AND ADOPTED CIP PLAN.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE WANTED TO INCREASE, UM, THE SINGLE UNIT VEHICLE PRICE REQUIRING BOARD APPROVAL TO $75,000 FOR ROUTINE VEHICLE PURCHASES.
AS YOU'RE AWARE, UM, PREVIOUS, IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO, WE'VE COME TO THE BOARD A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH CONTRACTS, UM, THAT ASKED YOU TO APPROVE CONTRACTS UP TO $75,000 TO THIS BASICALLY ALIGNS WITH, WITH THOSE CONTRACTS.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO COME TO YOU WITH EVERY CONTRACT THAT HAS A VEHICLE ROUTINE VEHICLES.
IN ADDITION, UM, JUST SOME CLARIFICATION OF SIGNATURE AUTHORITY ON CONTRACTS.
THAT'S BASICALLY A HOUSEKEEPING ITEM, IS THAT THAT'S THERE.
UM, IN ARTICLE TWO, UM, THE VIRGINIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT ACTUALLY MADE SOME CHANGES THAT WILL ALLOW FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS OF BIDS AND PROPOSALS.
SO WE THOUGHT THAT WAS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE OUGHT TO DO AS WELL.
IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR, UM, COMPANIES TO SUBMIT THEIR BIDS IN A TIMELY MANNER.
THEY CAN EITHER DO IT BY ELECTRONIC MEANS OR BRING IT TO US, AND WE FEEL LIKE THAT WE MIGHT GET ACTUALLY MORE COMPETITION THAT TO ALLOW THIS FOR BOTH OF THOSE.
UM, IN REGARD TO, UM, PROPOSALS, UM, PRIOR TO THIS PAST, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT DIDN'T ALLOW FOR COST TO BE AN EVALUATION AND A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.
YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS AND THEN GET COST.
SO NOW YOU CAN MAKE COST AS PART OF YOUR EVALUATION CRITERIA.
SO WE THINK THAT WOULD BE, THAT'S A GOOD THING AS WELL.
UM, AGAIN, ARTICLE THREE DEFINES THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF PURCHASING, AND ONE OF THOSE METHODS IS, UM, USING THE THE P CARD.
AGAIN, WE WANTED TO ALIGN THIS WITH SOME OF THE INFLATION AND INCREASE THAT PURCHASING LIMIT TO $2,500.
UM, THE COMMONWEALTH, UM, HAS ESTABLISHED A STATEWIDE CATEGORY B POOL FOR VENDORS OF PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING SERVICES.
THE PURPOSE OF THE POOL WAS TO PROVIDE SERVICES ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS FOR SMALLER PROJECTS, UM, WITH FEES, ANYTHING UNDER $80,000.
SO WE WANTED TO ADD THIS PROVISION TO OUR PURCHASING ORDINANCE TO ALLOW FOR, UM, US TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT, THAT POOL OF VENDORS AND GIVE US MORE OPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE SMALL PURCHASES.
ANOTHER CHANGE WAS PROFESSIONAL AC UM, ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING FIRMS IS FOR AN INCREASE OF A SINGLE PROJECT LIMIT UNDER ANY KIND OF TERM CONTRACT TO A MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, AND THIS WAS, AGAIN, IN ORDER TO KEEP PACE WITH CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN THE RISING COST OF GOODS AND SERVICES.
THE, UH, VIRGINIA ACTUALLY INCREASED THEIRS TO TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD DO THAT.
WE REALIZED THERE WAS A NEED TO INCREASE IT, BUT FELT LIKE WE STILL WANTED TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE SPEND.
SO WE WERE JUST ONLY INCREASING.
WE, WE RECOMMEND AN INCREASE OF A MILLION DOLLARS, BUT IT CAN GO UP TO TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IF Y'ALL CHOOSE TO DO THAT.
UM, PAYMENT FOR PERFORMANCE, UM, AND PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BONDS.
SO WE HAVE TERM CONTRACTS THAT, UM, THE STATE IS ALLOWING US NOW TO BE ABLE TO, INSTEAD OF DOING IT ON THE WHOLE CONTRACT, IF THERE IS JUST A SINGLE PROJECT WITHIN THAT CONTRACT, THEY DON'T HAVE TO GET A PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BOND FOR THE WHOLE
[01:25:01]
CONTRACT.THEY CAN JUST GET IT FOR INDIVIDUAL.
AND THAT, UM, WE FEEL THAT EASES THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THE CONTRACTOR TO DO BUSINESS WITH US.
UM, ARTICLE 13 OF THE ORDINANCE IS, IS DEDICATED TO THE PROCESS AND PROCEDURES FOR, UM, DESIGN BUILD AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK CONTRACTS.
THIS IS REQUIRED BY THE VIRGINIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT TO HAVE THIS IN HERE.
UH, WE, WE HAVE DONE DESIGN BUILD, WE HAVE NOT DONE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, UM, AT RISK CONTRACTS AND WE DON'T THINK WE HAVE, UM, ANY THAT ARE IN THE PIPELINE TO DO.
BUT WE DID HAD TO ADD, ADD THIS PROVISION IN THERE, UM, TO COMPLY WITH THE VIRGINIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT.
UM, AND LASTLY, UM, WE HAD IN THE PAST LISTED OUT ALL THE, UM, PROCUREMENT POLICIES OF THE, UM, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET THAT'S REQUIRED FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS WE ARE JUST INCLUDING THEM, UM, TO REFERENCE THEM INSTEAD OF INCLUDING THEM BECAUSE THEY CHANGE, THEY CAN CHANGE FREQUENTLY AND WE DIDN'T WANNA HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD ON A FREQUENT BASIS FOR THOSE FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS.
AND THEN AGAIN, THERE'S SOME OTHER MINOR ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES AND CLARIFICATIONS THAT ARE IN THERE.
SO I DID WANNA THANK JANET, UM, DUDLEY, WHO IS HERE TONIGHT, UM, FOR HER.
SHE REALLY DID THE LION SHARE WORK ON THIS.
AND, UM, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
I, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
I'VE READ IT AND I'VE GONE OVER IT.
THE ONLY THING THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS WITH, WITH THE INCREASE, UH, OF THE, THE LEVEL IS THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA KNOW SOME OF THE PURCHASES THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY KNOW ABOUT.
SO I WOULD LIKE A LIST PERIODICALLY OF ALMOST LEVEL.
OUR PLAN IS FOR THAT A HUNDRED TO 250 THAT ARE CIP PROJECTS IS STILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN WE DO THAT.
WE DO THAT NOW BETWEEN WHAT WE HAVE NOW, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
AND DEFINITELY ANY LARGER PROJECTS.
SO, UM, I THINK JUST FOR CLARITY, UM, FOR, UH, CONSTITUENCY AND THOSE INVOLVED, UM, THAT RAISING THESE LIMITS, IT'S BEEN, UH, 12 YEARS MM-HMM
SINCE THESE LIMITS HAVE BEEN RAISED, AND OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THE PRICE OF THINGS HAVE GONE UP AND INFLATION IS, YOU KNOW, STILL UP AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE ANYWHERE YOU CAN GO GET A, A VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN $75,000 ANYMORE, IT SEEMS LIKE.
BUT, UM, THESE, UM, THESE LIMITS NOW, THESE ARE STILL ALREADY IN THE BUDGET AND THEY'RE ALREADY IN A CIP THAT IS CORRECT.
SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT GIVING YOU CAR CARTE BLANCHE JUST TO GO OUT THERE AND SPEND A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR $250,000.
IT'S ALREADY INSIDE OF OUR BUDGET.
IT'S JUST GIVING YOU, UH, MORE LEEWAY TO NOT HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD TO GET SOMETHING APPROVED OVER 50,000 OR OVER THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
SO, MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT.
IT'S DEFINITELY MAKING IT MORE EFFICIENT AND, AND I'M LIKE, SHEILA, UH, I, I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE TRANSACTIONS AND, AND KIND OF GET A FEEL FOR WHERE WE'RE AT.
HOW MUCH, AND YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAY, TELL, TELL US, BUT, UM, HOW MANY OF THESE YOU THINK YOU'D HAVE IN A YEAR? I KNOW IT PROBABLY VARIES DEPENDING ON EQUIPMENT, BUT WE ACTUALLY MIGHT HAVE THAT ANSWER MAYBE.
UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW MANY OF THOSE? 49.
SO 50 OF THOSE YOU'D BE BRINGING US, BRINGING IT TO THE BOARD WITHOUT, WE WOULD NOT BE BRINGING TO THE OVERRULED CORRECT.
SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE A, A MINUS ALMOST 50 OF HAVING TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL, WHICH SLOWS THE PROCESS DOWN.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE TRYING TO PROCURE SOMETHING AND YOU CAN GET A DEAL OR A SALE, THAT MAY HELP IN THAT REGARD AS WELL.
NO, I, I, UM, I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT YOU GUYS GOT IT RIGHT.
WE'VE, UH, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS ENOUGH OVER THE YEARS TO SEE THE CHANGES.
I REMEMBER IT WAS A TIME WHEN YOU, IT WAS JUST LIKE EVERY, EVERY NUT AND BOLT, IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS COMING OUR WAY AND IT JUST, UH, THE THING IS, IT DOES SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE DOING CONTRACTING.
I, I, I, I'VE READ OVER IT, LOCKED ONTO THE CHANGES.
[01:30:01]
I DIDN'T GO THROUGH ALL THE, THE WHOLE DOCUMENT.AGAIN, I THINK IT'S A MASSIVE DOCUMENT AND I THINK, UH, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT AND I GO ALONG WITH IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO MY TAKEAWAY FROM THE APPROVAL INCREASES IS WE'RE JUST MOVING THE NEEDLE MM-HMM
TO ADJUST WITH THE CHANGES AND EXPENSES AND COSTS OVER THE YEARS.
THE BOARD WILL STILL GET INVOLVED IN THE ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO GET INVOLVED IN.
WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING INVOLVED IN SO MUCH MINUTIAE MM-HMM
AS WE'RE STARTING TO GET THAT SCOPE CREEP AS THINGS GOT MORE EXPENSIVE.
UM, NOW OPEN A PUBLIC HEARING.
DO I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, BUT IS, WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS? ALL RIGHT.
SEEING NONE, I WILL CLOSE THE, UM, PUBLIC HEARING AND ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE 24 DASH 20.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD DISCUSSION? NO.
SEEING, I CAN HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE.
THE MOTION MADE BY MR. SHEPHERD IS TO ADOPT PROPOSED ORDINANCE NUMBER 24 DASH 20 CODIFYING, REORGANIZING AND AMENDING NEW YORK COUNTY PURCHASING ORDINANCE.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
ALRIGHT, MOVING ON TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR.WE HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ITEMS. ITEM NUMBER SIX, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN OF REPLACEMENT OF THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA EQUIPMENT.
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, RENEWAL OF POWER DMS, UH, HR SOFTWARE SUITE ITEM NUMBER NINE, FIRE STATION FIVE, ROOF REPLACEMENT.
ITEM NUMBER 10, REVENUE STABILIZATION FUND TRANSFER.
ITEM 11, RECOGNITION OF FEMA OF VIRGINIA TASK FORCE.
TWO, PERSONNEL ITEM AND ITEM 12, RETIREMENT RECOGNITION FOR, UM, MR. CARL BRYANT, OUR COMPUTER MAP AND TECHNICIAN.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING PULLED FOR A SEPARATE DISCUSSION? ANYONE? OKAY.
IF NOT, I MOVE THE CONSENT CAMERA REAL QUICK.
I HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, THE POWER DMS SOFTWARE SUITE.
DOES THAT HAVE A MODULE FOR, UM, THE, UH, THE EVALUATION THAT WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING IN 25? OR DO WE LOOK AT SOMETHING ELSE FOR THAT? SO IT'S PART OF THE SAME POWER DMS NEO GOV APPLICATION.
THAT ONE CAME UNDER THE THRESHOLD.
SO THAT WAS ACQUIRED OVER THE SUMMER.
WHEN WE DID THE PERFORM MODULE OF THIS, IT WAS A SEPARATE CONTRACT FOR TWO YEARS.
AND WHEN THAT RUNS ITS COURSE OF TWO YEARS, IT'LL BE COMBINED WITH THIS LARGER CONTRACT FOR NEGOTIATING AND OTHER THINGS.
BUT IT'S ALL PART OF THE SAME SOFTWARE SUITE? YES.
SO WE GOT ONE HETEROGENEOUS SYSTEM FOR THE OKAY.
OKAY,
UM, ANY ROLL CALL PLEASE? THE MOTION MADE BY MRS. NOLL IS TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS SUBMITTED.
[NEW BUSINESS]
[FUTURE BUSINESS]
I HAVE NO NEW BUSINESS OR FUTURE BUSINESS TO DISCUSS TONIGHT BEFORE[MATTERS PRESENTED BY THE BOARD]
WE GO TO CLOSED MEETING.LET'S, UH, MOVE TO MATTERS PRESENTED BY THE BOARD.
AND I'LL START DOWN IN MY LEFT OF MR. SHE.
YEAH, I ACTUALLY, I NORMALLY DON'T HAVE LOT SAY, BUT I'VE JUST GOT, THIS WEEK'S BEEN ONE OF THESE WEEKS WHERE WE PILED IT UP.
UM, WE'RE ALL INTERESTED IN THE HAMPTON ROADS BRIDGE TUNNEL, WHERE IT'S GOING AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
THEY'VE PICKED THAT SUCKER UP, TURNED IT AROUND.
IT'S HEADING THE OTHER WAY NOW.
AND, UM, THERE'RE A COUPLE, ABOUT A HUNDRED FEET OR SO, MAYBE 200 FEET OR MORE, AND THAT IT'S BACK INTO THE TUNNEL.
SO IT'S ON THE THING'S MOVING REALLY, REALLY WELL.
AND IT'S, UH, JUST AN ENGINEERING MAR.
UM, IF YOU EVER GO OVER THE AREA, YOU SEE THIS LARGE METAL LIKE OBJECT MM-HMM
UH, AND THAT'S ANOTHER MARVEL OF ENGINEERING.
UM, NORMALLY WHEN YOU TAKE A SPAN ON A BRIDGE, YOU GET CRANES, THEY PICK IT UP AND THEY TURN IT AROUND AND DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
THEY'VE GOT TRAFFIC STILL FLOWING UP AND DOWN THESE ROADS AND YOU GOT BARGES THAT, THAT CAN'T GET IN THERE BECAUSE THIS THING IS TOO LOW.
AND SO THEY CREATED THIS, UM, IT'S A BEAM LAYER.
SO BASICALLY, UH, AND WHAT IT DOES IS THIS THING IS ONE END OF IT SITS ON A FINISHED, UH, PILING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE CROSS WAS FOR THE, FOR THE, THE TRESTLE, THE OTHER ONE.
THEN IT, THEN IT MOVES OUT TO AN AREA THAT'S THEN EXTENDS OUT TO AN AREA WHERE THE TRESTLE IS, UH, BEAM.
THE, UH, THE BEAM PART OF THE, NOT THE BEAM, BUT THE, THE PART OF THE HOLDS UP THE BRIDGE.
IT'S, IT'S BEING DEVELOPED AND THEN EXTENDS OUT TO WHERE THE NEXT ONE WILL BE.
IT IT JUST OUT OVER THE WATER.
WELL, THIS THING PICKS UP, PICKS THESE COME, THEY COME IN WITH A TRUCK, THIS THING PICKS THESE THINGS UP AND THEN IT LAYS 'EM DOWN ONE AT A TIME, JUST LIKE A CRANE.
SO, UM, IT JUST, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING.
UM, BUT THE, THE IMPORTANT PART THAT IT'S MOVING, MOVING REALLY QUICK, UM, I HAD TWO INTERESTING MEETINGS THIS WEEK.
[01:35:01]
WITH THE, UH, HAMPTON ROSE MILITARY AND FEDERAL FACILITY ALLIANCE, WHICH I CHAIR.UM, AND THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION WE GOT WAS JUST, IT WAS, THIS IS OVERWHELMING, BUT THE IMPORTANT PART THAT THAT'S, THAT'S TIED TO THE SECOND MEETING, UH, DEALS WITH CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS THAT YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT.
UM, AND THE OTHER PART, THE FIRST, BUT THE FIRST PART OF THE MEETING THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WAS, UM, THAT OUR MILITARY AND OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS OUR DEVELOPMENT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS, THE, THE BUSINESS EFFORT, IF YOU WILL IN HAMPTON ROADS HAS BEEN TO DIVERSIFY.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE TOO RELIANT ON THE MILITARY AND WE'D HEAR THIS, WE'RE TOO RELIANT ON THE MILITARY.
AND WHEN WE SAW A CUT YEARS AGO, UH, IN THE MILITARY, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS A TA VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON US.
WELL, THE REAL THING IS, IF YOU LOOK AT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE, WE'RE MILITARY, OKAY? WE ARE KNEE DEEP IN MILITARY.
I MEAN, YOU UP OUR NECKS IN MILITARY, AND THAT'S NOT A BAD THING.
AND SO INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, SCREENING TO DIVERSIFY, IT'S NOW THE EFFORT SHIFTING TO TOTALLY EMBRACE OUR MILITARY EFFORTS.
AND, UH, AND WE'RE DOING THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, QUALITY CARE FOR, UH, FOR OUR, UM, DAYCARE CENTERS FOR, TO HELP HELP SOME OF THE PROBLEMS. AND, UH, AND SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A STATEMENT NOW, WHAT THEY ARE THAT, THAT, UH, WE ARE MOVING IN HAMPTON ROADS TO REALLY EMBRACE OUR, OUR, OUR MILITARY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KIND OF PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, OFTEN I'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, IMPACT AID.
YOU KNOW, WE RANK, UH, THE FOUR CATEGORIES IN IMPACT AID.
HAMPTON, UH, YORK COUNTY ITSELF RANKS, UH, IN THE NATION, ONE IN, UH, RANKS NUMBER ONE MM-HMM
BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WE HAVE IN OUR, OF THAT, THAT HAVE, UH, FEDERAL FAMILIES THAT GO TO OUR SCHOOL.
IN FACT, WE, WE BUILT THE SCHOOL, UH, FOR THAT.
AND WE FUND THE, NOT ONLY THE SCHOOL, BUT WE FUND THE, THE TEACHERS AND THAT GO THERE.
SO WE'RE RANKED IN TWO IN THE FOUR CATEGORIES OF WHO'S GONNA RECEIVE IMPACT AID IN THE NATION.
YOUR COUNTY RANKS ONE IN TWO OF THOSE CATEGORIES.
THE OTHER TWO CATEGORIES, WE RANK TWO WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE SAN DIEGO, WHICH, WHICH IS THE OTHER ONE, GETS THE NUMBER ONE CATEGORY.
AND THAT NUMBER ONE, SO THEY, THEY REC, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT, UH, ON MILITARY FAMILIES HERE.
AND SO THEY'RE, THEY, THEY PROVIDE THAT IMPACT AID.
UM, LOOKING AT THE, ONE OF THE PARTS OF THE BRIEFING I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING, THE TOP 10 US METROS WITH THE HIGHEST DOD SPENDING.
UH, DALLAS-FORT WORTH, OF COURSE IS, IS RIGHT UP THERE.
WASHINGTON, DC AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, UH, THEY'VE GOT A FEW OTHERS.
BOSTON, CAMBRIDGE NEW, UH, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, BUT THERE'S VIRGINIA, NORFOLK, THAT AREA.
SO A HUNDRED THIRTY FOUR, A HUNDRED THIRTY $4 BILLION.
THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY GETTING DROPPED IN OUR AREA.
UM, NOW KIND OF TIED TO THE SECOND MEETING, WHICH WAS INTERESTING.
UH, IT WAS A VERY SMALL MEETING.
I, I GOT A CHANCE TO MEET WITH, UH, SENATOR WARNER AND REPRESENTATIVE KAGAN KAGAN, UH, REPRESENTATIVE VIRGINIA BEACH.
AND THE ISSUE WAS A CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
NOW WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL THESE BILLS.
I THINK THERE'S 12 BILLS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, BUT, BUT IF YOU DON'T PASS THE HOUSE DOESN'T PASS THE BILLS, THEN THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT WORKING.
AND THAT'S DONE THROUGH CONTINUOUS RE CONTINUOUS RESO RESOLUTIONS, CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS.
UM, THE DOWNSIDE TO CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS IS THAT THE RULES ARE, YOU CAN'T INCREASE ANY PART OF THE BUDGET IN THAT AREA.
WELL, WE KNOW THAT NOTHING STOPS THE COST OF MATERIALS, EMPLOYMENT, ALL THIS STUFF AROUND GOES UP, CONTINUES TO GO UP, UM, AND IT'S GONE UP.
JUST, IT'S JUST A TREMENDOUS INCREASE.
AND SO WHAT CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS DO OR TO THEY DO, THEY BASICALLY, YEAH, THEY CAN SAY YOU STOP SPENDING MONEY, BUT THEN IT PUTS YOU BEHIND IN TRYING TO COMPETE WITHIN THE WORLD.
AND FOR PROTECTION, PARTICULARLY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WHERE WE HAVE TO COMPETE WITH CHINA, RUSSIA, ALL THE, THE ADVERSARIES THAT WE HAVE, AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN A QUALITY.
AND THAT QUALITY MEANS WE ARE ON THE, ONE OF THE THINGS, THE GREATEST THINGS WE'VE HAD FOR US AT PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY IS OUR NATIONAL
[01:40:01]
DEFENSE.YOU SCREW THE UNITED STATES, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU NEVER KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA COME OUT, COME OUT OF OUR SHOES.
AND, UM, I MEAN, UH, IRAQ LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY, IF THERE'S JUST, BUT THERE'S JUST THIS PART.
YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN THESE THINGS BECAUSE CHINA'S NOT, CHINA'S NOT RESTING.
THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT DEALING WITH CONTINUOUS RESOLUTIONS.
THEY'RE JUST CONTINUING TO PRESS ON AND BUY, UH, MORE SHIPS.
UM, UH, ESPECIALLY THE SHIP PART OF IT.
AND OUR REASON I BRING THAT UP BECAUSE 80% OF OUR FORCE HERE IN HAMPTON ROADS IS NAVY.
IT'S NOT AIR FORCE, NOT ARMY, NOT MARINES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE WAS TO MAINTAIN A 300 SHIP, ACTUALLY MORE THAN THAT, UH, OF NAVY.
WELL, OUR SHIPS, NOW, WE'RE DOWN, WE'RE OLD, OLD SHIPS, AND WE HAVE, WE'RE UNDER 300.
WELL, CHINA'S BUILDING SHIPS, OKAY? WE'RE NOT, AND THEY'RE, AND THEY'RE BUILDING REALLY MODERN SHIPS.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE TAKING, WE'RE TAKING SOME OF THE, THE OLD, THE, THE SHIPS THAT WE BUILT AND WE'RE RETROFITTING THEM WITH SOME REALLY TREMENDOUS EQUIPMENT.
BUT CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS, DAMAGES YOUR ABILITY TO, TO BUILD THE FORCE THAT YOU NEED.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HITS HOME FOR HAMPTON ROADS IS ONE OF THE COMPANIES THAT WE'RE IN THIS MEETING, UM, THEY ASK HIM THAT, THAT, UH, UH, REPRESENTATIVE KAGAN ASKED, CAN I NEED SOMETHING TO TAKE BACK TO WASHINGTON SO I COULD GIVE MY STORY AS TO WHY WE NEED TO GET OFF THIS CONTINUING RESOLUTION THINGS? AND THEY, AND THEY, THEY TALKED TO THIS GUY WHO HIS, UH, UH, HAS SOME ASPECT IN BUILDING.
OF COURSE THE SHIPYARD WAS THERE, BUT THIS ONE GUY YES.
AND HE SAYS, UH, HE SAID, I HAD 200 EMPLOYEES.
I'M DOWN TO 80 NOW, AND THE REASON I'M DOWN TO 80 IS BECAUSE I CAN'T, THE JOBS ARE THERE, THE WORK'S THERE, BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T HIRE ANY MORE PEOPLE BECAUSE WE'RE UNDER CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
THERE WAS JUST STORY AFTER STORY AFTER STORY ABOUT THAT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOT MY ATTENTION WAS THAT WE TALK ABOUT, AND THAT IN FACT, I MENTIONED YORK COUNTY AND OUR EFFORTS TO GET SOME SORT OF ABILITY TO, FOR QUALITY CONTROL OF DAYCARE CENTERS.
AND I MENTIONED THAT CITIES HAVE AUTHORITY.
WE DON'T IN COUNTIES, AND THERE'S SIX COUNTIES.
WELL, THEY CAN'T SPEND MONEY ON DAYCARE CENTERS THAT THEY'VE ALREADY, THEY'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AND SAID, YEP, HERE, HERE YOU CAN HAVE THESE.
THEY CAN APPROPRIATE THESE, THEY'RE IN THE BUDGET.
THE TROUBLE IS THEY DON'T HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO SPEND THE MONEY BECAUSE OF CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
AND MY POINT WAS, IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A MILITARY IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE.
IF I'M, IF I'M DEPLOYED AND I GOTTA WORRY ABOUT MY FAMILY AND NOT BEING CARED FOR, I MEAN, THIS IS AN OLD ISSUE, OLD, OLD ISSUE, THEN GUESS WHAT? YOU DON'T HAVE THE MILITARY.
SO WE'RE NOT, AND NOT ONLY DO THAT, IS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE THESE CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS THAT THE, THAT YOU CAN'T SPEND THE MONEY ON TO DO THE, THE, THE BUDGETS AND STUFF LIKE THIS TO BUY THINGS, THE BANKS THAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH HAVE TROUBLE LENDING MONEY TO PEOPLE TO BUY HOMES FOR THE BUSINESSES TO BUY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIES THAT THEY NEED JUST FOR US OPERATING WITHIN OUR OWN CITIES AND COUNTIES.
AND SO THERE IS, THIS IS THE, THE MOST ASININE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IS OUR CONGRESS CAN PASS A FRICKING BUDGET IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, WE'RE REQUIRED TO PASS A BUDGET.
THIS COUNTY IS RE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A BALANCED BUDGET, BUT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT.
AND SO TODAY WE STAND AROUND $39 TRILLION IN DEBT.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, THE POINT IS THEY DON'T HAVE, THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO BALANCE A BUDGET, HOW TO SPEND ON THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
I DID RAISE THE ISSUE OF TARIFFS.
I MEAN, EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, DON'T TALK ABOUT TARIFFS.
OKAY? BECAUSE THE, THE FARM BILL IS A BIG ISSUE.
AND THE RETRO ASPECTS OF FARM BILL IS THAT YOU SCREW WITH THE PEOPLE LIKE MEXICO, ARGENTINA, AND OTHER COUNTRIES, GUESS WHAT? OR OR RUSSIA, OR YOU NAME THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY GET, THEY BUY OUR WHEAT, GUESS WHAT? THEY QUIT BUYING OUR WHEAT.
'CAUSE THEY GO DOWN TO ARGENTINA AND THAT'S WHERE THEY BUY THE WHEAT.
WHICH HAPPENS TO OUR FARMERS, IS THEN WE END UP WITH A PROBLEM.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A GIVE AND TAKE ON EVERY ONE OF THESE THINGS, BUT OUR CONGRESS NEEDS TO BE, NEEDS TO STEP UP.
AND IF YOU WANT TO EVER WANT TO KNOW WHY THE U THE US CITIZENS LOOK AT OUR CONGRESS WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RESPECT THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE INABILITY OF THEM TO GOVERN.
[01:45:01]
AND I DON'T CARE IF DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN OR WHATEVER, IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM WE'VE SEEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN.BUT ANYWAY, IT WAS INTERESTING TALKING TO, UH, SENATOR WARNER.
AND AGAIN, IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 20 OF US THERE.
I, I, UH, I DID ASK HIM, OR THE, IN FACT, I WAS THERE IN THE NEWSPAPER, UH, NEWS, THE NEWS CHANNEL 10 OR THREE ASK HIM ABOUT THE, THE UFOS ALL WE'RE HEARING ABOUT UFOS.
UH, AND HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, I'M CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE, AND HE WAS, THEY WAS A BIG THING.
THEY WERE GONNA GO BACK AND, UH, TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
SO, UM, ANYWAY, THERE WAS THAT PART OF IT.
AND I THINK I'VE GOT, OH, THE ONE LAST THING I WANTED TO JUST MENTION.
YOU SAW THE US NEWS REPORT ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS.
WE GOT SOME TREMENDOUS SCHOOLS.
I THINK, UH, TAB HIGH SCHOOL IS RANKED AS AS 10TH IN THE 10TH 10TH IN THE WHOLE STATE OF VIRGINIA.
OUR, OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM IS RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE.
UM, AND A LOT OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE RANKED REALLY HIGH NATIONWIDE.
ALTHOUGH THEY'RE, THEY'RE COVERED BY DISTRICTS.
UH, YOU CAN GO TO EITHER NICHE MAGAZINE OR US NEWS OR REPORT.
AND, UH, AND THAT'S, WE'VE DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB OF MAINTAINING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WE GOT A LOT TO BE PROUD OF.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT WE'RE HAVING, WE ARE HAVING A, WE HAVE REALLY LOW CRIME RATE.
AND, UH, AND I THINK THAT THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IS GOOD, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT INVOLVEMENT.
SO ANYWAY, UH, LIKE I SAID, I HAD A LOT GOING ON THIS WEEK AND, UH, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF SUM IT UP HERE.
THANK YOU, MR. SEPARATE, MR. DREWRY.
UM, YEAH, I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT A NUMBER OF THINGS, UH, ON MY, ON MY DOCKET HERE.
UM, I'M GONNA START OFF WITH THE SOMBER.
UM, WE HAD ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING, AS I'M SURE MOST EVERYBODY'S AWARE THAT AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES.
UM, AND IT'S VERY SAD, UM, THAT WE KEEP SEEING THESE HAPPEN ACROSS THEIR COUNTRY.
AND, UM, IT CONCERNS ME, ARE WE DOING ENOUGH IN YORK COUNTY? AND PART OF THAT IS I HAVE A DAUGHTER THAT'S A TEACHER.
AND WHEN THAT STUFF COMES ACROSS THE, YOU KNOW, THE TV N NETWORK, IT HITS MY HEART PRETTY HARD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SHE'S IN AT BRUTON HIGH EVERY DAY.
AND, UM, SO I'M, I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN IN YORK COUNTY, AND ARE WE DOING ENOUGH? AND I'M NOT SURE WE ARE.
UM, JUST LIKE THIS SCHOOL WAS A, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A PRIVATE SCHOOL AND A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL BRINGS A, A LOADED GUN.
NOW LISTEN, I'M, I'M NOT ABOUT TAKING GUNS AWAY BECAUSE GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE KILL IN THE WRONG HANDS.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A 15-YEAR-OLD THAT HAS ACCESS TO GUNS AND AMMUNITION THAT CAN TAKE IT TO A SCHOOL, WE GOT A PROBLEM.
AND, UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, I, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP EVALUATING WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE.
AND IF IT'S, IF IT'S METAL DETECTORS, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE CAN FIND MONEY TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WE WANT TO DO.
I KNOW THEY'RE EXPENSIVE, BUT IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO, TO STEP UP, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING, BECAUSE THAT WAS A VERY SMALL SCHOOL.
AND IF YOU LOOK AROUND YORK COUNTY, WE'VE GOT THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN AND KIDS THAT GO TO OUR SCHOOLS EVERY SINGLE DAY IN THIS COUNTY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS GOOD AS OUR, OUR DEPUTIES ARE HERE, UM, I, I STILL THINK THERE'S, THERE'S A C***K IN THE ARMOR THAT WE NEED TO EVALUATE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
AND I, I SAY OUR PRAYERS, MY PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILIES THAT LOST LOVED ONES.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT THIS LITTLE 2-YEAR-OLD, UH, A SECOND GRADER THAT ACTUALLY MADE THE 9 1 1 CALL.
I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE BEING A 9 1 1 OPERATOR AND GETTING A, GETTING A SECOND GRADER TELLING ME THAT THERE'S BEEN A MASS SHOOTING IN THEIR SCHOOL.
THAT'S, IT'S JUST VERY TRAGIC, YOU KNOW, SO THAT, THAT HURTS THE HEART.
SO OUR PRAYERS GO UP FOR THEM.
UM, SO LET ME MOVE ON TO SOME BETTER NEWS.
LET, LET, I DID, I DID A RIDE ALONG WITH, UH, MY SON-IN-LAW.
HE'S A DEPUTY HERE IN THE COUNTY, UH, LAST WEEK.
IT WAS KIND OF EXCITING, UM, AND IT GAVE ME A GREATER, UH, APPRECIATION FOR OUR DEPUTIES, ESPECIALLY 9 1 1 CENTER.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW MANY CALLS THEY GET IN ALL THE TIME, AND IT WAS, IT WASN'T LIKE IT WAS A GLITCH ON THAT RADIO THAT I WAS WITH HIM FOR LIKE EIGHT HOURS.
[01:50:01]
MEAN, THEY JUST RESPONDED EVERY TIME THAT SOMEBODY CALLED THERE RIGHT THERE.AND, AND SO WE WENT ON, UH, WE WENT ON A, UH, SOME GUNSHOTS DOWN IN LACKEY THAT ENDED UP BEING LESS THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS, BUT IT WAS A PRETTY TOUCHY SITUATION AT THE TIME.
AND, UH, THEY ALL WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL.
UH, THE STATE TROOPER CAME IN WAY DOWN THE ROAD AFTER THE INCIDENT HAD HAPPENED, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS, THERE WAS FIVE, I THINK IT WAS FIVE DEPUTIES FROM THE COUNTY.
AND, UM, I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE, THE PROFESSIONALISM, UH, THE CAMARADERIE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU CAN JUST TELL THEIR, THEIR FRIENDS AND THEY, THEY LOVE THEIR JOB AND THEY DO A GREAT JOB.
SO MY, MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU DEPUTIES THAT PROTECT US EVERY DAY.
AND, UM, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
UM, SO IF YOU'VE BEEN GOING BACK TO UD DADDYS, YOU SEE THAT Q DADDY'S IS MOVING ALONG.
THEY'RE STARTING TO PUT SOME WALLS UP, SOME FOUNDATIONS ARE IN.
AND UM, I JUST KNOW, UH, RED WHI IS NOT GONNA LET THE GRASS GROW ONTO HIS FEET.
HE'S TRYING TO PUSH THAT THING THROUGH AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO, UH, HOPEFULLY SOME BETTER MOVEMENT COMES AS THE WEATHER CLEARS UP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE SEEN THAT, UH, VIRGINIA BEER COMPANY, THERE'S SOME EQUIPMENT ON SITE, THEY'RE MOVING SOME DIRT AROUND.
AND SO WE ARE SOMEWHAT PROGRESSING THERE.
MAYBE NOT AS QUICKLY AS I'D LIKE TO SEE IT, BUT WE ARE PROGRESSING THERE.
UM, AND I JUST, UH, STEVEN AND I JUST GOT WORD THIS WEEK THAT CHICK-FIL-A HAS RESUBMITTED THEIR PLANS FOR THE, UH, GRAFTON LOCATION.
UH, I KNOW MY WIFE IS EXCITED THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY OVER TO, UH, VICTORY BOULEVARD TO SPEND OUR MONEY.
UH, SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE TO THE BOARD.
WE, WE'VE HAD AN, WE'VE HAD A SITUATION HERE IN YORKTOWN WHERE, UM, A LANDOWNER IS NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE PROPERTY.
AND IN OUR ORDINANCE IT SAYS THAT THE GRASS HAS TO BE CUT.
AND THIS HOUSE IS, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S, UH, GROWN UP IN A FOREST, LIKE YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE FRONT PORCH.
UM, IT, YOU KNOW, VINES ARE GROWING OUT OF THE SOFFIT AND ALL THIS STUFF, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY AUTHORITY NOW.
'CAUSE OUR ORDINANCE ONLY SAYS CUTTING GRASS.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO GET SUPPORT FROM THE BOARD TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT ORDINANCE AND TRY TO ADD SOMETHING FOR THE SHRUBS AND THE TREES AND THE BUSHES, AT LEAST TO KEEP IT PRESENTABLE.
SO YOU, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE HELD TO SOME STANDARD TO KEEP THEIR HOUSE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING WELL.
AND I KNOW WE CAN'T TELL PEOPLE TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THEIR PROPERTY, BUT WHEN IT BECOMES A NUISANCE TO THE NEIGHBORS, LIKE IF THEY WANTED TO SELL THEIR PROPERTY AND YOU'VE GOT THIS RUNDOWN HOUSE THAT'S NOT CONDEMNED YET, THEN IT BRINGS THE PROPERTY VALUE DOWN IN THE NEIGHBORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT WE GET SUPPORT THAT TO LET MR. BELLAMY PUSH FORWARD ON, ON WORKING ON, UH, SOME OPTIONS ON THAT, UH, ORDINANCE.
AND HE'S SAID THAT THEY COULD DO THAT.
UH, WELL, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO BRING IT UP AND WE'LL HAVE TO DISCUSS IT I THINK A LITTLE LATER.
WE'VE LOOKED AT THIS BEFORE AND, UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE, RIGHT.
LEGALLY, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA GET AROUND THEM UNLESS WE SET UP A WHOLE NEW SYSTEM.
WHICH TAKES MONEY AND IT TAKES PERSONNEL AND WE TRIED TO RUN A VERY TIGHT BUDGET AS IT IS, BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK AT ANOTHER TIME.
YEAH, I THINK MARK'S BEEN LOOKING INTO IT.
SO HE SAID HE'S GOT SOME SUGGESTIONS ON THAT.
AND THEN A COUPLE OTHER THINGS REAL QUICK.
UM, DO WE HAVE A, UM, AN UPDATE ON THE STAFFING STUDY AND THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY AS FAR AS WHEN THAT, WHEN WE'RE EXPECTED TO, TO GET THAT REVIEW? WE, WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, THE BERKELEY GROUP TO COME BACK, UH, IN YOUR WORK SESSION IN FEBRUARY.
IT'S WORK SESSION, RIGHT? FEBRUARY WORK SESSION IN FEBRUARY.
AND HOW ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY THAT WE'RE WORKING ON EVALUATION, RIGHT? SO THE EVALUATIONS WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2000, UM, NEXT YEAR, 25 IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR, RIGHT? THAT'S THE PLAN.
UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE OTHER THAN I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 'CAUSE WE WON'T SEE YOU HERE AND YOUR CALL OR, OR MAYBE ELSEWHERE, UM, UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
SO WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR AND, AND BE SAFE.
[01:55:01]
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.THIS IS A TIME THAT'S VERY BUSY, VERY, VERY BUSY FOR ALL THE FAMILIES OUT THERE, AND A A LOT OF STRESS GOING ON AND THERE'S A LOT GOING ON NATIONALLY AS WELL AS LOCALLY.
UH, BUT IT'S ALSO A TIME OF CELEBRATION, I THINK.
AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT RELIGION YOU FOLLOW, WHETHER OR WHAT ORGANIZATION YOU FOLLOW OR WHAT BELIEF, KWANZA, UH, YANG KIPPUR, THAT'S NOT THE ONE I WANTED TO USE.
I'M SORRY, WHAT? HANUKKAH, I'M SORRY.
HANUKKAH IS SO IMPORTANT TO SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE IN YORK COUNTY, BUT WE'VE GOT OTHER CELEBRATIONS FOR SMALL GROUP GROUPS OF NATIONALISTS.
REMEMBER THE ONES THAT WE WENT THROUGH THAT WERE FOR THE INDIANS.
AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOUR COUNTY SUCH A WONDERFUL PLACE TO LIVE.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF INDIVIDUALITY HERE, AND I THINK CHRISTMAS IS A VERY GOOD TIME TO, TO BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE DO HAVE.
AND WE ALSO NEED TO REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT WITH US RIGHT NOW.
AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO ARE NOT GONNA BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES.
AND ALSO, WE DO SO MUCH SHOPPING, PEOPLE SHOPPING ONLINE, PEOPLE SHOPPING IN THE STORES.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING FRAZZLED BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN WHAT THEY WANTED TO FIND AND EVERYTHING.
BUT YOU KNOW, THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFT YOU GIVE IS THE GIFT THAT COMES FROM YOUR HEART.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS SEASON IS ALL ABOUT.
SO YOU'VE HEARD A LOT THAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR COUNTY TONIGHT.
YOU'VE HEARD FROM OUR OTHER MEMBERS OF WHAT THEY'VE SEEN AND WHAT'S GOING ON.
THIS IS A GREAT BIG WORLD AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN THIS TIME AND WHERE WE ARE.
SO MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, A HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAKE IT BE KIND TO US.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, OR A LOT OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS HERE IN THE, IN THE COUNTY AND THE, THE ROAD IS REALLY IN THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A NUMBER OF NEW BUSINESSES OPEN UP HERE IN THE, IN THE COUNTY THIS YEAR.
I THINK WE AVERAGE, I AVERAGE MORE THAN, UM, ONE RIBBON CUTTING A MONTH, UM, THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND I KNOW THAT SOME OTHER FOLKS HELPED OUT WITH THOSE AS WELL, THE ONES I COULDN'T ATTEND.
SO NEW BUSINESSES COMING INTO THE COUNTY.
UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE NEW RESTAURANTS COMING INTO THE COUNTY IN PARTICULAR HERE IN THE DISTRICT, UH, THREE AND FOUR AREA.
UM, WE GOT, UH, YOU CUTE DADDIES.
THE WALLS ARE STARTING TO GO UP, MOVEMENT THERE.
WE'RE SEEING MOVEMENT THERE WITH THE VIRGINIA BEER COMPANY.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT SHORTY COMING IN HERE RECENTLY, AND I TOLD MYSELF I WASN'T GONNA MENTION THE NAME UNTIL I SAW GROUND GET BROKE, BUT MR. DREW MENTIONED THE, THE MESSAGE WE GOT FROM, UM, FROM OUR, FROM OUR FOLKS OVER AT CHICK CHICK-FIL-A, UH, MR. JOSS BURNETT, LETTING US KNOW THAT A NEW SITE PLAN WAS SUBMITTED.
SO VERY EAGER ABOUT ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO A LOT, LOT SOME, A LOT OF NEW CHOICES THERE COMING IN.
UM, I THINK WE'RE SEEING NEW LEVELS OF, OF CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN, IN THE PAST, WHICH IS FANTASTIC, PARTICULARLY WITH THE LAUNCH OF LA LAST YEAR WITH THE, UH, TOWN HALL AND THE IN THE BUDGET PORTAL AND THAT WE'RE DOING AGAIN THIS YEAR.
SO A LOT OF GOOD ENGAGEMENT THERE AND REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, SOME GOOD FEEDBACK LAST YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE THIS YEAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE MOVED THE BALL FORWARD ON SOME THINGS THAT WE HADN'T DONE IN THE PAST OR RECENT, RECENT PAST.
WE GOT THE TWO BOARDS TOGETHER, THE TWO MAJOR ELECTED BOARDS IN THE COUNTY TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A FEW YEARS TO START HAVING SOME CONVERSATIONS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
UH, WE'RE SEEING BETTER COLLABORATION BETWEEN COUNTY STAFF, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AND, UM, OUR OTHER, UM, CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES THAT WE HADN'T, YOU KNOW, REALLY HADN'T DONE BEFORE TOO.
WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE BETTER CONVERSATIONS THERE.
SO A LOT, A LOT OF POSITIVES HERE IN THE COUNTY THIS YEAR AND REALLY FEELING GOOD ABOUT IT.
UH, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS CHAIR THIS YEAR.
I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, MY, MY PEERS, UM, FAITH AND TRUST IN ME IN PROVIDING LEADERSHIP THIS YEAR.
AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY INCLUDING COUNTY STAFF'S PACE WITH ME AS I ACCLIMATED TO THIS NEW ROLE.
UM, I HAVE, HAVE ENJOYED MY TIME HERE.
AND AGAIN, IT, UH, IT'S, UH, I APPRECIATE THAT EVERYBODY, UM, WORK WITH ME ON THAT AND, AND I'LL WRAP IT UP WITH MERRY CHRISTMAS.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE, TAKE A BREAK, TAKE A BREATH, ENJOY THE TIME, SPEND SOME TIME WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES, BECAUSE SOUNDS LIKE 2020, UH, FIVE'S GONNA BE BUSY, SO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AND COME JANUARY.
[CLOSED MEETING]
I WILL ASK MS. NOLES, YOU WILL TAKE US INTO CLOSED SESSION.UH, LET'S SEE, WHERE AM I IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 2.2 DASH 7 3 7 11, A SEVEN OF THE COURT OF VIRGINIA.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CONVENING CLOSED MEETING, UH, TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL, CONSULTANTS AND OR STAFF ON A MATTER OF ACTUAL LITIGATION IN WHICH THE COUNTY IS INVOLVED.
[02:00:02]
ROLL CALL.WITH THAT, WE MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION.
EVERYBODY HAVE A GOOD EVENING.