Greetings Colonial Beach residents. Below are highlights from Wednesday’s work session and some other updates.
Liaison updates
I will remain as the Public Works liaison, Andrea Clement is liaison for the schools, Tom Moncure stays as public safety liaison, Caryn Self-Sullivan continues to be NGO liaison and added as economic development liaison, Kenny Allison was appointed to parks and rec and planning commission liaison and Vickie Roberson is finance liaison.
Bylaws Approved
The bylaws were discussed at two prior meetings so it was just a matter of confirming the language for adding agenda items and a few other minor changes.
Business License Tax Ordinance 721
Per a prior meeting on this topic the main discussion was about setting the minimum license fee at $30 which would simplify the process for small businesses. I agreed with the change back in December but I also asked if there were other ways to streamline the process further and Town staff said they would look into this. After noticing the ordinance included a rate increase, I discussed my concerns with the Town manager and Mayor because I could not support a Tax increase. The Mayor agreed with my concerns and suggested we could not only avoid the increase but also simplify the fee structure and that was the proposal introduced to Council Wednesday (businesses would pay one of two rates,$0.16 or $0.20 per $100 vs having several different rates up to $0.58). I said I was most definitely in support and excited about the chance to actually reduce a tax. A public hearing will be set and a vote will follow.
Trademark Update
Tom Moncure suggested the attempt to market the town trademark (logo) was not going well. No action taken but town is going to do more research.
Park/ playground on the North Side of town.
As many of you know a park on the North side has been on the comprehensive plan for many years and is still on the to do list. As part of my campaign and even before, I advocated for such a park. Recently a new group of residents have joined the cause which prompted the town to add the topic to Wednesday’s agenda. A piece of town owned property on the corner of Azalea and Stafford has been identified as a potential site. I asked the Mayor if this should be sent to the Planning Commission for review and she agreed. I asked if a resident survey was needed and there was agreement to that also. Finally I asked if there was room for parking on that particular lot and was told most likely not. The town is currently in the exploratory phase but a North Park could become a reality in 2023. The Mayor and others mentioned how they still want to pursue a grant for a linear park on the golf cart path. I believe we only need one park in that area so I will only support one or the other but my preference is a regular park in a neighborhood. Cost, including maintenance will need to be factored into the overall plan.
Budget timeline
We voted on setting the timelines for Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
Resolution #10-22 VDOT
Simply put the town receives maintenance funds from VDOT for the majority of our roads and we voted to request 4.34 more lane miles be added to that inventory. If accepted CB will receive another $57k a year from VDOT. Most of the added roads are located in Riverside Meadows neighborhood. The Vote was 7-0
Special Events Process update
As short presentation was given by town staff regarding the special events program. Town staff recommends the majority of resolution #57-15 stay the same but they did suggest a $1250 fee for the use of the towns large tent which will cover set up, and dismantle cost as well as county inspections. It was also proposed that the town offer a parking package at $20 a space along Colonial Ave and Washington. I asked how the parking would be enforced and the answer was the event holder will be responsible for enforcing parking in the rented spaces. It was also suggested that town council approve any type “A” events which would be over 5000 people.
Main Street Briefing
A Presentation was given regarding the Virginia main street program and the pros and cons. I personally need to do more research before I can support this program. From what I gather the main goal is to encourage the revitalization of our downtown and add more businesses. My concern is this requires yet another town employee full-time dedicated to managing the program. This position would be funded by Down Town Colonial Beach 40% (volunteer organization) and The Town of CB 60%. I guess the main question is, is it worth the money, time and extra effort by town staff.
Other Updates
There will be a parking discussion held on Friday Feb 11th 9am at Town Center and I encourage residents to attend.
Please email or call with questions or comments:
dwilliams@colonialbeachva.net
540-604-4335
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