NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON Thursday, September 6, 2018, AT 5:00 p.m. AT CitySpace, 100 5th Street NE. THE PROPOSED AGENDA IS AS FOLLOWS: Work Session on infrastructure and capital budget needs BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL BY Paige Rice City Space Large Conference Room – September 6, 2018 Council met in special session on this date with the following members present: Ms. Galvin, Dr. Bellamy, Ms. Walker, Ms. Hill; Absent: Mr. Signer. Ms. Walker called the meeting to order at 5:06 p.m. Staff present included: Mike Murphy (Interim City Manager); Chris Cullinan (Director of Finance); and Leslie Beauregard (Assistant City Manager). Kevin Rotty (Financial Advisor) represented Public Financial Management. Mr. Murphy started the meeting and provided overview for Council. Ms. Galvin asked if capital assets are considered when issuing bonds. Mr. Cullinan responded - yes, they are on the balance sheet which is considered. It’s important that this is increasing over time. Dr. Bellamy asked what happens if we flip the FY 19 amounts for Affordable Housing and Public Housing Redevelopment? Ms. Beauregard responded it would have no impact on the budget. Council and staff discussed the 9 percent to 10 percent debt ratio policy and the effect of staying within this policy for bond rating. Dr. Bellamy and Ms. Galvin asked how the City could back the Housing Authority to issue bonds? Mr. Cullinan said staff are still looking into that legal issue. Mr. Rotty said if you are co-signing on a bond, it’s considered to be a full obligation of the City, so it would be considered as a bond issued by the City. The reason why the utilities bonds aren’t “counted” is because there is a separate and dedicated revenue stream. Ms. Galvin said she hopes that the Housing Authority is leveraging multiple sources of funds. Ms. Walker asked the about details of the Affordable Housing CIP budget. Staff responded with the amount appropriated in the CIP and that the proposed uses of this funding are brought to Council annually to approve. Dr. Bellamy asked if city can dedicate a 1-cent increase in real estate taxes to debt service payments? Mr. Cullinan said yes, but we need to also stick to the School contribution policy of 40 percent and the fund balance policy. Ms. Walker and Ms. Galvin asked about the policy of allocating 40 percent of new revenues to the schools. Ms. Galvin asked how can we talk numbers if we haven’t decided on any projects or how much they will cost (e.g. school capacity vs. modernization, Friendship Court’s $6 million request, and Housing Authority projects). Lauren Hildebrand (Director of Utilities) noted the city also has an aggressive program to replace pipelines. Council discussed its infrastructure and capital budget priorities. Ms. Hill said three Councilors support trails and we should keep these projects. Ms. Galvin recommended leveraging outside funds, maintaining multi-modal projects, supporting redevelopment of public housing sites, and supporting the $6 million investment in Friendship Court. Ms. Walker said black and brown people are not using these green spaces currently. Ms. Galvin said with respect to affordable housing she thinks we are within striking distance of the $20M bond issuance but that the $50M issuance is not feasible with our capacity. Council received public comment. Emily Dreyfuss - Legal Aid Justice Center - It’s really about prioritization - why are we spending money on West Main when there are homeless people on couches? This is the year to tighten belts, not to dream big. People want to see housing justice so we need to take action. Rip Verkerke - Rivanna Trails Foundation - Support trails and greenways - improve safety, promote health, promotes mobility across many communities. Eberhard Jehle - Bike Ped Committee - Investment into decent bicycle infrastructure reduces real costs of living in the city - will have an enormous impact on the affordability of the city. Mr. Bellamy Asked how can we look at multi-modal transit? Who is looking at that? Ms. Galvin said there are plans in place, but we aren't funding them. We are getting outside funding for these plans. Ms. Hill and Ms. Galvin said they both fully support this. Peter Krebs - Piedmont Environmental Council - move faster at improving multi-modal infrastructure - you have to have a complete vision and complete approach. Ned Michie - Trails - We have a problem of driving with a suspended license - we need greenways for safe ways to travel - surveys show that this is what Charlottesville wants - we’ve had plans forever, but we need to get moving on the plans. Rosanna Bencoach (City Voter Registrar) - help people get their licenses back and on the road. Ms. Walker adjourned the meeting at 7:13 p.m.