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Council starts advertising for town manager
By Megan Peak/The Union Star
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 1:45 PM EDT
Council member Kenneth Jennings motioned to start advertising for a town manager at the end of Tuesday's meeting last week.
"It was spoken to about four months ago and nothing has been done," said Jennings. "I have been contacted by numerous individuals asking when we are going to do it."
Bob Jean seconded the motion.
Tracey Meisenbach commented that after the issue was voted on, it needed to be put to rest.
After a roll call vote, Meisenbach voted yes, Richard Adams abstained, saying the council needed further discussion to make sure they were clear on how to write the ad, Stacey Hailey also abstained, Champ Nowlin voted no.
The vote passed, 3-1.
A second motion was also made by Bob Jean to appoint a committee to writing the criteria for the advertisement. Hailey seconded. The motion was carried unanimously.
In other town news:
County Administrator R. David Laurrell and Brookneal District Supervisor J.D. Puckett provided an update of the county comprehensive planning process and discuss of means of how the town might get involved. Laurrell explained that the town is legally required to have their own comprehensive plan, which would be incorporated in the county plan.
"We would like to involve the town in some capacity in reviewing the area that is in county, outside town," said Laurrell.
The planning process includes a guiding document, zoning ordinance, legal basis for making general planning decisions and must be updated once every five years.
Laurrell explained that he would like the council to follow the Town of Altavista's footsteps, where the town is going through their own update of planning process internally, in terms of the county comprehensive plan, and are scheduling meetings with a full planning commission to work on transitional areas.
The next step would involve appointing a dedicated group of folks, local government council, or contract with a third party who does comprehensive updates to specifically champion the process and provide assistance.
Laurrell recommended going with the local government, which would be the least expensive and most viable.
Puckette reminded the council that they needed to talk to the town Planning Commission and find out where they are and what they can contribute.
When Laurrell asked the council if they had any other questions concerning the county, Jennings mentioned the placing of biosolids near the town.
Laurrell explained that the Department of Health went forward with the land application of sewage sludge about on a 3,000 acre farm four or five miles outside of town three weeks ago.
"Everything went as planned to my knowledge without any incident, it took about a week, the material came from Blue Plains and the county tested soil prior to application," he responded.
The DEQ is responsible if a violation is found, he said. They did find wells adjacent 500 feet to the application and will be doing studies on the wells to make sure there is no impact after rainfalls.
"Whether like it or not, it went according to what the regulations are," said Laurrell.
Meisenbach asked about Campbell County willing to adopt a chemical trespassing ordinance. "Counties have done it for the protection of their citizens and protection of the county as a whole,' she said.
Laurrell responded that the county attorney and state attorney didn't have authority to do that and just because a locality has an ordinance that hasn't been challenged, doesn't mean it's legal.
"Until state changes regulations, I don't believe county is going to do something that they believe is illegal," he ended.
The town discussed a citizen's request to hook an agricultural well, which was installed last November, to the town water service.
Crews explained that the request had not been permitted from the health department and that the well was put in to the sprinkler for irrigation water only.
"I'm against it because of the safety of the people who own town water," said Crews.
Councilman Adams said that if the citizen wanted to have well repairs to be able to provide enough water, he would be able to do that but that he was against just tying the two wells together.
Mayor Campbell asked what were the possibilities of the citizen using only town water.
Crews explained that the individual didn't want to use just town water because it would put restrictions on her usage.
The request was delayed until next meeting, when the council will review the ordinance and the motion that approved the drilling of the well.
The council discussed the Brookneal Sanitation Ordinance, which will help clean up the area and look at public health hazard issues that need to be addressed, along with the possibility of setting a specific standard of how high the grass would be allowed to grow before it had to be mowed.
The ordinance was referred to the Physical Development Committee.
Crews presented plans for replacing the current sanitation vehicle, with has 200,000 miles and is 16 years old, with a new one, which would cost an estimated $175,000.
Council requested to create a committee to help research cost of a new vehicle and how to pay for it. Crews did explain that a grant could be pursued which would pay half of the cost.
During the meeting, there was a public hearing for the conditional use permit to excused for Andrew Conners after his mobile home burnt down in January. The Planning Commission also met Tuesday night to vote on the permit and to allow Conners to place another mobile home in the same spot.
The Planning Commission made a recommendation to approve the request.
Tracey Meisenbach made the motion.
"To allow Mr. Conners to put new trailer in the loft where the old trailer was and allow him to use necessary equipment and operator to make sure it is put in correctly."
The council unanimously approved the motion.
Council adopted the revised Virginia Retirement System plan stating, "The Town of Brookneal provides its employees with tax deferral pursuant of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to their member contributions to the Virginia Retirement System by picking up member contributions to VRS resolved that notwithstanding any contractual or other provisions, the contributions of each member of VRS who is an employs of the town shall be picked up using the method under which the employer will pay the employees' statutorily required contributions to VRS and the salary will not be modified."
Chief Ricky Cousins provided the police report for the month of August: nine tickets issued in the 35 mph zone, one in the 45 mph zone, one for failure to maintain control, one wreckless driving, one driving while suspended, one failure to wear seatbelt, two for no state inspection, two for no front tags, one assault and battery and one pending, three grand larcenies, one copper theft and one parking ticket.
The department also received several items from a grant: new raincoats, protective gloves, hand sanitizers and new radar equipment is on the way.
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