COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MAY 9, 2023 - DRAFT
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MAY 9, 2023
The Edinburg Town Council met for a Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Mayor Harshman called the Public Hearing to order at 7:00 p.m. All Councilmembers except Councilman Dellinger were present. Also present was Ms. Lori Hoffman.
The purpose of the Public Hearing is to receive comments on the proposed amendment of the 2022-2023 Budget and the proposed Budget for the Year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town Office did not receive any comments about the Budget.
There were no other comments.
A motion was made by Councilman Beachy and seconded by Councilman Wood to adjourn the Public Hearing at 7:03 p.m.
The Edinburg Town Council met in a regular session on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Mayor Harshman called the meeting to order at 7:19 p.m. All the Councilmembers were present. Also present were Ms. Lori Hoffman and Sgt. Bobby Poff and Dep. Yolisma Uribe-Campos from the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Department.
Mayor Harshman asked if anyone had anything that was not on the agenda.
A motion was made by Councilman Dellinger and seconded by Councilman Beachy to approve the minutes of the April 11, 2023 regular meeting. Motion carried.
A motion was made by Councilman Wood and seconded by Councilman Dellinger to approve the Treasurer’s report and to pay all the bills as presented. Motion carried.
Councilman Beachy stated that there was no report from Inboden Environmental Services.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town is still waiting to hear when the Memcor US Filter Technician will be coming for their visit. Mayor Harshman also reported that the 12 membrane for filter #4 have not arrived yet.
Mayor Harshman reported that Mr. Ron Ross and his crew have been working with the surveyors as they begin to establish the layout of the existing water lines and the best route for the new water lines at Cave Springs
Mayor Harshman reported that he and Mr. Karl Schaeffer met with the Virginia Department of Health about renewing the permits on the water pump station at the 200,000-gallon ground storage tank but he has not heard anything back about the project.
Mayor Harshman reported that Southern Corrosion began working on painting the elevated water tank on May 1st. They are moving right along despite some cold, windy weather as they went up and down the outside of the tank pressure washing it. Mayor Harshman also reported that they started priming last week and the plan is to move right on to the 200,000-gallon ground tank as soon as they finish painting the elevated water tank.
Mayor Harshman reported that he heard back from T-Mobile last week and their engineers are scheduled to come and look at the antenna location on the tank this week.
Mayor Harshman reported that he and Mr. Ross’s crew will be meeting with Inboden Environmental Services tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for a kick-off meeting on the lead inventory.
Mayor Harshman reported that the operators at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) are still adjusting to the parts of the new plant that have been put on-line.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town has been having leak problems with the backflow preventer that is on the 2-inch water line coming into the Plant. This is located inside the influent pump building and has reached the point of requiring a sump pump to keep the water cleaned up in the dry well side of the building. Mayor Harshman reported that a new backflow device has been ordered and hopefully will be in place this month.
The Street Committee had no report. Mayor Harshman reported that he is still checking on the installation of the mirrors on Palmyra Road coming up from the Campground. It turns out that this has been brought up before and is a challenge because of the steep slope of the bank along the side of the road where the mirrors would be placed. Mayor Harshman reported that VDOT will only place signs and mirrors on their own poles and the bank makes it very difficult to securely install a pole.
Mayor Harshman also reported that the Town is looking for a new sidewalk contractor to replace the sidewalk north of the Post Office around the Hisey Street area.
The Ordinance Committee had no report. Mayor Harshman reported that he has answered a couple of questions on the final draft of the Town Code and the Town should be receiving the finished product by the end of May.
The Personnel Committee had no report.
The Finance Committee had no report.
The Property Committee had no report.
The Cemetery Committee had no report. Mayor Harshman reported that there is an issue that the Cemetery Committee needs to discuss.
Councilwoman Wymer-Hollar reported that the pool season starts on May 27th and the Edinburg Ducks will start practicing on May 30th. She also reported that 16 lifeguards took the re-certification class, new guards will have training on June 9th–June 11th and Water Days will be on July 10th-13th. Councilwoman Wymer-Hollar reported that the Edinburg VFW donated $1,000 to the individual doing the project at the pool that was approved at the March meeting and he will be starting on the project this weekend. She also reported that the guards that will be coming home from college will start coming in to clean and get the pool ready for opening. She also reported that the park has been very busy with baseball, soccer and disc golf. Mayor Harshman reported that the Town is looking into installing Wi-Fi at the pool and he still has not heard anything back from the tennis company.
The Insurance Committee had no report. Mayor Harshman reported that the Town has sent a letter to Anthem to re-activate the insurance renewal.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town received the renewal information for the VML Insurance, which was included as part of the proposed 2023-2024 Budget and that he shared it with the Council. Mayor Harshman reported that the proposed changes are increasing the Auto Physical Damage Deductible from $500 to $1,000 and increasing the Property Damage Deductible from $1,000 to $2,500. Mayor Harshman stated that the Town has been lucky over the years when it comes to Worker’s Comp claims and has never had anything serious happen to any of the employees. Also, without the Police Department, Mayor Harshman feels that the Town doesn’t need to spend the extra $500 for Worker’s Comp. Mayor Harshman also stated that he doesn’t think that the Mill coverage needs to be increased. Mayor Harshman stated that he needs authorization from the Council to sign the VML Insurance Renewal with the changes in deductibles. A motion was made by Councilman Wood and seconded by Councilwoman Wymer-Hollar to authorize the Mayor to sign the VML Insurance Renewal with the changes in deductibles. Motion carried.
The Health and Safety Committee had no report. Sgt. Poff called attention to the April Calls for Service report and reported that there has been an increase in foot patrols.
Mayor Harshman reported that he missed a couple of Tourism Council meetings and the May meeting has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. Mayor Harshman reported that he has a copy of the Tourism’s fiscal year 2023 ad campaign for the first quarter if anyone is interested in looking at it.
Mayor Harshman reported that County Tourism is celebrating “National Travel and Tourism Week” May 7th through May 13th. During this week local residents can play tourist and discover many of the attractions and businesses in the County. Mayor Harshman reported that there are special discounts and promotions at sixteen locations for Shenandoah County residents to take advantage of by showing an ID with a County address. Mayor Harshman also reported that the Edinburg Mill is offering free admission to the Museum and 10% off in the gift shop.
Mayor Harshman also reported that the County is doing the Shenandoah Tours (formally Faces of Tourism) again this year. The Tour will be in Edinburg on June 21st with Ms. Linda Wooten giving a walking tour of the Town starting at Murray’s Fly Shop. Mayor Harshman will then meet them at the Edinburg Mill to tour the Museum, then they will do wine tasting at Heritage Mill Wines and then everyone will come to the Town Hall for a lunch from Bean’s BBQ.
Mayor Harshman reported that he has a copy of the Department of Historical Resources Stewardship report from their annual site visit in March. They were pleased with what they saw and stated that overall, the Mill is in excellent condition.
Mayor Harshman stated that some of the Council may recall the refinancing that the Town did back in 2019. Part of that paid off the 2006 Series Bond that the Town had through the Virginia Resources Authority (VRA). As a result of the refinancing, the IRS determined that an arbitrage payment was due as a result of the prepayment. Mayor Harshman reported that the Town received notice from the IRS changing their minds and stating that there was an overpayment made at that time. Mayor Harshman has 10-12 pages explaining how they arrived at this and will share it with anyone who would like to review it. Mayor Harshman reported that the Town is going to receive a rebate from the VRA for $2,204.94.
Mayor Harshman reported that he shared an email from County Planner, Mr. Tyler Hinkle who is seeking information as part of the County’s public engagement for their Comprehensive Plan. This was sent out to the Town Council, the Architectural Review Board and the Planning Commission and Mayor Harshman asked that comments be sent back as soon as possible so that the Town can forward them to Mr. Hinkle. Mayor Harshman stated that two items that immediately came to his mind were attracting more businesses downtown and getting Shentel to do something productive with their vacant buildings on Main Street.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town received a letter from Southern Corrosion thanking the Town for selecting their proposal. He also reported that as a result of their contract with the Town, they have donated $250 to Victory Junction, which is a camp for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions located in Randleman, NC. Mayor Harshman reported that Southern Corrosion makes a $250 donation for every new tank management agreement or painting proposal contract that is accepted.
Mayor Harshman reported that the ShenGo Bus Committee has been discussing shelters and benches and it will be discussed further at the June 30th meeting. A bench along Rose Drive at Madison Village was suggested, along with one or more shelters in downtown Edinburg. Mayor Harshman is sure that additional benches would also be welcomed in other areas and he has seen people sitting on the bench in front of the Post Office waiting to flag down the bus.
Mayor Harshman reported that the shelters they are looking at will cost $9,800 including shipping and the benches start at around $1,000 or more depending on the style. Mayor Harshman also reported that there will be 80-90% grant money for these with the Town paying the balance and being responsible for the installation and maintenance. Mayor Harshman thinks that one area downtown that would fit a shelter is in front of the old bank parking lot and some other areas might be in front of the post office and at the townhouses if there is enough use there.
Mayor Harshman asked the Council if they would be interested in funding the Town’s portion of shelter or bench purchases. The Town’s cost would be around $1,000-$2,000 for a shelter and around $200 for a bench. The Council agreed that this would be a good idea. Mayor Harshman also stated that the Planning Commission may be interested in coming up with some possible locations.
The Architectural Review Board did not meet.
The Planning Commission did not meet.
The Zoning Report showed that two permits were issued:
1. Jonathan & Katrina Hathaway
105 Cooper St.
Addition
2. Miranda Wilkins
101 Massanutten St.
Fence
There was no report from the Town Attorney.
Mayor Harshman reported that he was unable to attend the last WWTP upgrade construction progress meeting with Mr. Ron Ross, the Engineer and the Contractor. The next WWTP upgrade construction progress meeting will be on Tuesday, June 6th at 10:30 a.m. at the Town Hall.
Mayor Harshman reported that the new influent grinder pumps and variable frequency drives are working well. Mayor Harshman also reported that they now have a tracking register that gives information on how much they are running.
Mayor Harshman reported that the weather has slowed down the backfilling and the setting of manholes and piping. Mayor Harshman reported that there was discussion about the scheduling of work to keep everything on schedule. The Town continues to remind the DEQ that USDA held up the construction start date, but WGK still feels that they should be close to start up on June 30th unless the weather continues to be an issue.
Mayor Harshman reported that the footers and the foundation are in place for the headworks building and weather permitting, the floor should be in place this week. The prefab building is scheduled to be delivered at the end of May.
Mayor Harshman reported that it was discovered that the third aeration blower that they have been waiting on was actually delivered. It came in with one of the digester blowers and ended up being installed on the digester by mistake and it is identical in appearance to the digester blower, but it is more powerful. Mayor Harshman reported that changes can be made within the unit to make it operate correctly for the digester without having to remove it from the building. As Mayor Harshman reported last month, the third blower is a backup and if it doesn’t get here before they are ready to install the blowers, they can still install the other two and get things running.
Mayor Harshman asked the Council to consider a Resolution to amend the Budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023. Mayor Harshman read the Resolution. A motion was made by Councilman Wood and seconded by Councilman Dellinger to adopt the Resolution to amend the Budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023. Motion carried. Recorded vote as follows: Wymer-Hollar - aye, Dellinger - aye, Baird - aye, Beachy - aye, Reistetter - aye, Wood - aye, Harshman - aye.
Mayor Harshman asked the Council if they had anything they wanted to discuss about the proposed Budget for the Year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024. They did not. The Budget will be approved at the June meeting.
Mayor Harshman asked the Council to consider a Resolution to establish the percentage of Personal Property Tax Relief for qualifying vehicles during the 2023 tax year. Mayor Harshman read the enacting parts of the Resolution. A motion was made by Councilman Dellinger and seconded by Councilwoman Reistetter to adopt the Resolution to establish the percentage of Personal Property Tax Relief for qualifying vehicles during the 2023 tax year. Motion carried. Recorded vote as follows: Wymer-Hollar - aye, Dellinger - aye, Baird - aye, Beachy - aye, Reistetter - aye, Wood - aye, Harshman - aye.
Mayor Harshman reported that during Magic City Sprinkler’s 5-year inspection on the sprinkler system at the Edinburg Mill they discovered that the sprinkler in the upper part of the elevator shaft was not functioning. The pipe area is in an unheated space in the attic and requires a special anti-freeze system that must be repaired for insurance purposes. The cost to recharge and return the 1” anti-freeze system back into service is $1,400 and the anti-freeze is $100 per gallon, and they are not sure what amount of anti-freeze it will take. A motion was made by Councilman Wood and seconded by Councilman Beachy to approve the bid of $1,400 from Magic City Sprinkler to recharge and return the 1” anti-freeze system back to service and to add anti-freeze at $100 per gallon. Motion carried.
Mayor Harshman reported that the Town currently requires a security deposit for water and/or sewer for rental properties. With the increase in water, sewer and trash rates, the Town needs to consider increasing the deposits to cover the higher rates. Mayor Harshman reported that the current deposits are water or sewer only in town - $80, water or sewer only out of town - $100, water, sewer and trash in town - $150 and water and sewer out of town $200. The Treasurer checked with some of the other towns and they require between a $200 and a $250 deposit and don’t differentiate between in or out of town. Mayor Harshman thinks that the Town should continue to charge more for out of town than for in town.
Mayor Harshman suggested that the water or sewer only in town deposit increase to $100, the water or sewer only out of town deposit increase to $150, increase the water, sewer and trash in town to $200 and increase water and sewer out of town to $250. Mayor Harshman stated that security deposits are only required from renters and a homeowner is not required to pay a deposit and this increase will give the Town some protection when renters move out and do not pay their bill. A motion was made by Councilman Baird and seconded by Councilman Beachy to approve the security deposit increases. Motion carried.
With no further business, a motion was made by Councilman Wood and seconded by Councilman Dellinger to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
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