City Council Special Meeting

Agenda

• 1aConsideration for remote participation by Councilmember Amos

  Outcome: Approved 5-0 to allow Councilmember Amos to participate remotely pursuant to Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3708.2.

  passedMotion to approve remote participation by Councilmember Amos.

  Bates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yesAmos: absent
• 2aPublic hearing on appropriation resolutions for the General, Capital, Wastewater, Transit, Stormwater, Cable, Old Town, Transportation Tax, Debt Service, and ARPA Funds for the FY26 budget year

  Outcome: Public hearing opened and closed; no action taken at this item. Action deferred to agenda item 3e. One member of the public (Sabrina DeWald) spoke in opposition to wastewater and stormwater rate increases.

• 3aOrdinance amending and readopting Chapter 90, Article II, Division 1, Section 90-33 – Commercial/Industrial Property Transportation Tax Rate

  Outcome: Approved unanimously 6-0. Ordinance 2025-01 adopted, setting the 2025 tax year commercial/industrial real property tax rate at $0.125 per $100 of assessed value for transportation purposes.

  passedMotion to approve Ordinance 2025-01 setting the commercial/industrial real property transportation tax rate for calendar year 2025 at $0.125 per $100 of assessed value.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
• 3bOrdinance amending Chapter 102, Article II, Section 102-31(b) – Wastewater Utility Rate Increase 6.0% for FY26

  Outcome: Approved unanimously 6-0. Ordinance 2025-02 adopted, increasing wastewater utility rates by 6.0 percent.

  passedMotion to approve Ordinance 2025-02 increasing wastewater service rates by 6.0 percent.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
• 3cOrdinance amending Chapter 102, Article V, Section 102-203(b) – Stormwater Utility Rate at $34.30 per BU (6.0% increase)

  Outcome: Approved unanimously 6-0. Ordinance 2025-03 adopted, setting the stormwater utility rate at $34.30 per Billing Unit effective January 1, 2025.

  passedMotion to approve Ordinance 2025-03 setting the stormwater utility rate at $34.30 per billing unit for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2025.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
• 3dConsideration of no action on amending Chapter 90, Article VI, Section 90-262 – Tax on Meals

  Outcome: Approved 6-0 to take no action on a proposed ordinance that would have increased the meals tax from 4.0% to 6.0%. The current 4.0% meals tax rate remains unchanged.

  passedMotion to take no action on an ordinance amending Chapter 90, Article VI, Section 90-262 pertaining to the levy and amount of tax on meals.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
• 3eConsideration and appropriation of the FY 2026 Budget, Schedule of Rates and Levies, FY 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Program, and establishment of Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Rates

  Outcome: After a failed motion to defer to May 13 and three failed amendments, the FY 2026 Budget was adopted unanimously 6-0. The Budget Change Document was incorporated 4-3. Tax rates were set unanimously 6-0. All FY26 fund appropriation resolutions (R-25-10 through R-25-19) were approved unanimously 6-0.

  failedMotion to defer consideration and appropriation of the FY 2026 budget to a date certain of May 13, 2025.

  McQuillen: yesHall: yesPeterson: yesRead: noBates: noHardy-Chandler: noAmos: no
  failedAmendment to set the real estate tax rate at $1.75 (resulting in reductions of approximately $500,000 for pay study implementation, $188,000 for merit increase, and ~$100,000 in nonprofit funding).

  McQuillen: yesHall: yesPeterson: yesBates: noAmos: noHardy-Chandler: no
  failedAmendment to defer the Willard-Sherwood community center expansion to the FY 2027 budget.

  McQuillen: yesHall: yesPeterson: yesBates: noAmos: noHardy-Chandler: no
  failedAmendment to implement 50% of the pay study in FY 2026 and 50% in FY 2027.

  McQuillen: yesHall: yesPeterson: yesBates: noAmos: noHardy-Chandler: no
  passedAmendment to incorporate all changes included in the Budget Change Document (Attachment I, previously published) into the main budget motion.

  Read: yesAmos: yesBates: yesHardy-Chandler: yesHall: noMcQuillen: noPeterson: no
  failedMotion to set the real estate tax rate at $1.0550 per $100 of assessed value, personal property and machinery and tools tax rate at $4.13 per $100 of assessed value, and personal property tax rate at $0.01 per $100 for qualifying volunteer fire/rescue members, effective January 1, 2025 (first vote).

  Bates: yesAmos: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: noHall: noPeterson: no
  passedMotion to set the real estate tax rate at $1.0550 per $100 of assessed value, personal property and machinery and tools tax rate at $4.13 per $100 of assessed value, and personal property tax rate at $0.01 per $100 for qualifying volunteer fire/rescue members, effective January 1, 2025 (second vote).

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
  passedMain motion to adopt the FY 2026 Budget (all funds), FY 2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies, FY 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Program, FY 2026 health benefit contribution rates, 2.0% merit increase effective January 1, 2026 for eligible general scale employees, and programmed annual step increase for public safety employees, as amended by the Budget Change Document.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes
  passedMotion to approve appropriation resolutions R-25-10 (General), R-25-11 (Capital), R-25-12 (Wastewater), R-25-13 (Transit), R-25-14 (Stormwater Utility), R-25-15 (Cable), R-25-16 (Old Town), R-25-17 (Transportation Tax), R-25-18 (ARPA), and R-25-19 (Debt Service) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.

  Amos: yesBates: yesHall: yesHardy-Chandler: yesMcQuillen: yesPeterson: yes