March 13, 2018
MINUTES OF THE BROOKNEAL TOWN COUNCIL
7:00 PM – The regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council
The municipal government of the Town of Brookneal met with the following members present:
Phyllis Campbell, Mayor
Richard Adams, Mark Wilkes, Barbara Laprade, and Joseph B. David, Jr., Council Members
Richard Baldwin, Chief of Police
Russell Thurston, Town Manager
Mike Crews, Public Works Director
Bobbie Waller, Clerk/Treasurer
Absent: James Nowlin, Vice Mayor and Robert Jean, Council Member
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Upon motion by Richard Adams, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, Council approved the agenda for the March 13, 2018, regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council.
MINUTES
Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Joseph David and unanimously carried, Council approved the minutes for the February 13, 2018 joint committee meeting and Town Council meeting.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mayor Campbell asked that the March 2018 treasurer’s report be filed for audit.
PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF INVOICES
Be it resolved that motion was made by Barbara Laprade, seconded by Mark Wilkes and unanimously carried, authorizing the payment of the invoices for the period of February 14, 2018 to March 13, 2018, in the amount of $30,658.08.
REQUEST FOR THE USE OF THE COMMUNITY BUILDING BY HERITAGE HALL
Autumn Enoch, of Heritage Hall Nursing Home, appeared before Council to request the use of the community building October 13, 2018 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. for a gala to benefit the American Heart Association. She said it would be a semi-formal event with a catered meal, drinks, and a jazz band. They are partnering with Centra Health to do this event. Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, the Council voted to approve the request by Heritage Hall to use the building at no charge.
CAMPBELL COUNTY RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Sarah Johnson of the Campbell County Economic Development office came to the Council meeting to present information about forming an Artisan Trail for the Lynchburg area. She passed out some brochures about other trails in the area. She said it is a great marketing tool. She said local artisans, crafters, eateries, lodging, and theatres, are encouraged to join this trail. They will be in the brochure as well as on the Artisan Center of Virginia website. She said that it is a great tool to get information out about our area. She said each participant will get a sign for them to use while they are a part of the artisan trail. She said there is a $150 setup fee for the first year, with an annual fee of $100. She said it is a lot of marketing for our area.
POLICE REPORT
Chief Richard Baldwin presented the police report for February 2018. He said of the 63 calls for service, 50 of them were answered by the Brookneal Police Department.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
Mike Crews, Public Works Director, said the Dixie Boys and Girls will have opening ceremonies on April 14, 2018 at the ball park. He said Spring Clean Up will be held March 19 through March 30, 2018. He said a citizen on Church Street is trying to organize a community clean-up day April 7th on Church Street, Brook Street and Third Street; he said he is trying to give them a little advice on doing that.
He also noted that the gentleman that painted the community building auditorium and outside trim work done a great job, and he encouraged everyone to go take a look at the building when they get a chance.
Councilperson Barbara Laprade asked on behalf of the Woman’s club if something could be done to improve the parking lot at the community building. She also asked about noting on the sign that is being made for the community building that the building and land were donated by David Bruce.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
Town Manager Russell Thurston said that he is going to pick up the chairs this week for the community building that were purchased through fund raising by the Woman’s Club. He said that he and Chief Baldwin worked together to get the grant paperwork submitted for new in-car cameras for the police vehicles.
He said a budget meeting is going to be held March 14, 2018 at 11 a.m. He said that he is looking at other tax options for the Town budget since this year the Town was looking at a shortfall in the general fund budget. He said the main culprit is the 20% increase in health insurance that has been handed down by Anthem (DHRM) for the FY19 budget year.
He said he is working on a sign for the community building. He said he would also work on getting a nice plaque acknowledging the donors of the land and building to be put at the entrance of the building itself. Chief Baldwin suggested having a light on the sign as well. Everyone was in consensus that this would be a good idea.
FY17 AUDIT
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, the Council approved the FY17 audit report.
REQUEST FOR TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATION
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Barbara Laprade, and unanimously carried, the Council approved the following transfer of appropriation.
REQUEST FOR TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATION
APPROVAL OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, the Council voted to approve the comprehensive plan as was presented by Philipp Gabathuler from Region 2000 with the stipulation that minor revisions will be made by the Town Manager Russell Thurston.
ITEMS FROM TOWN COUNCIL
There were no items from Town Council.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Richard Adams, and unanimously carried, Mayor Campbell announced that March 13, 2018 Council meeting was adjourned.
