The Christiansburg Town Council meeting on Feb. 17 had a crowd of about 50 attendees, and here are just a few of the highlights:
1. Although the Planning Commission meeting held earlier in the day saw the Albert Land rezoning request impacting Sage Lane residences approved on a 4 to 1 vote, the developer withdrew the request after the vote. This allows the request to come up again at any time, whereas had the Town Council voted against the commission's approval, it would have been off the table for one year. In the meantime, homeowners remain in limbo. This is not a good thing for some homeowners who were seeking to refinance adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) to better terms and rates, finding valuation decreases when a property is no longer located on a cul-de-sac. Council indicated a "ray of hope" may be presented by the federal stimulus package for "shovel ready" projects, that might provide funding for the 26 year old Peppers Ferry improvements -- but that doesn't address Sage Lane property owner concerns about increased traffic on their street. The town's attorney indicated these property owners had no legal standing to bring action which might restrict right-of-way access.
2. Council decided to wait a year and see how the Valley Curbside Recycling start-up company fared in providing and expanding this new service to town residents. Currently, they are building a customer base with a 850 home area served by town garbage pick up on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and have several dozen customers signed up. While this is great for free enterprize and providing a service the town has previously not acted upon, questions around mandatory trash fees or reductions in garbage pick up rates for people who can document they recycle (and therefore reduce landfill tipping fees) remain open issues.
3. A resolution supporting Fast Rail Freight and Passenger Service (aligned with the NRV PDC's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) support), asking federal legislators to fund expansion of rail service to reduce tractor trailer trucks on Virginia interstates was presented to council. Representatives asking for council's endorsement of this resolution were not present, and the Mayor suggested a "wait and see" approach on how the MPO responded. Council member Ernie Wade pointed out the MPO had supported this initiative already, and that the resolution simply was to address this request to elected federal officials, again with the hopes that stimulus dollars would move the project forward. What wasn't discussed was how this appears to be in opposition to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors lawsuit against Norfolk Southern's proposed Intermodal Railyard in Elliston, on the grounds federal or state monies should not be applied to the benefit of a private enterprize.
4. The "Recodification of the Town Code" was basically allowing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be issued seeking consultant bids on updating the town's code. This was last done in 1992, but is affected by changes made in the General Assembly every year. Most government bodies have policy or code changes monitored, either by designated staff as regards their areas of accountability, or legal counsel tracking possible changes and submitting routine updates. As it stands now, Christiansburg will pay approximately $40,000 to have 17 years of updates incorporated into the town's code. But don't worry, this has been a budgeted item for several years -- there simply hasn't been the time available to get to it before.
5. The Finance Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the 2nd floor conference room to discuss suggested new positions, as per recommendations made in the town's last two annual audits. They will not discuss the upcoming fiscal year or a budget development timeline, rather what council should be looking for in qualifications for one or two new specialized jobs. The meeting is open to the public, regardless.
6. The Town Manager reported that council's list of comments relative to the lease agreement between the town and Virginia Tech for use of the future aquatic center had been conveyed to VT attorneys. Finessing final contract, or lease, verbiage is expected in early March, "addressing all concerns" about the town's risk. The Mayor also noted the Aquatic Center Advisory Board he established in December had been notified that their first meeting had been scheduled for March 11. This meeting, too, is to be open to the public.
Regular "TC Notes" will be published tomorrow.