City Council will meet Tuesday, Dec. 6, in a special work session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss strategies to address violent crime. The Council’s regular business session will be held at 7 p.m., followed by its regular work session. All three sessions are open to the public.
The business session will be held in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building, which is located at 427 Patton St.
The work sessions will be held on the same floor, but across the hall in the Council Conference Room. In work sessions, Council reviews non-routine matters that will be voted upon in future business meetings.
During the business session, City Council will vote on whether to accept state money to purchase two propane buses and construct a bus shelter. The buses will be used by Danville Transit to provide shuttle service along Mount Cross Road to Averett University’s north campus.
In October, the state approved a contract to fully finance the purchase of the buses and construction of a bus shelter for the new service. Averett University will provide contract revenue to offset operating costs for the new service. The bus service would start in August.
City Council also is scheduled to vote on several other matters:
- declaration of 205 Jefferson Ave. as a blighted property and adoption of an abatement plan for the property.
- a rezoning request for property at 156 Spring Ave. to allow the parcel to be consolidated with 4750 Riverside Drive, which is the site of Piedmont Custom Conversions. The Planning Commission has recommended approval of the change. A public hearing will be held prior to the vote.
- a request for a special use permit to allow for a towing business with ancillary vehicle repairs and short-term vehicle storage at 1525 South Boston Road. The Planning Commission has recommended approval of the permit subject to four conditions, including construction of a fence so that all vehicle storage and repair is not visible from South Boston Road. A public hearing will be held prior to the vote.
- a request to vacate two unopened street right-of-ways off near Eastwood Drive to allow the property owner to consolidate properties. A public hearing will be held prior to the vote.
- appointments to the Planning Commission, Fair Housing Board, Dan River Alcohol Safety Action Program, and Employee Retirement System Board of Trustees.
For the second work session, the agenda includes the following items:
- review of the city employee benefit package for the next fiscal year
- discussion of an emergency access for the Pine Tag neighborhood
- update on the development of strategies to address the three focus areas established by City Council during its retreat held in late October. The focus areas are violent crime, education and economic growth
- closed meeting as allowed by state law to discuss a prospective business or industry related to economic development, discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property or of the disposition of publicly held real property, and discussion of personnel matters.
River City TV, the city’s government access channel, will air the business session. Watch it live on cable (Comcast channel 10 and Gamewood channel 122) or streaming on the River City TV Facebook page and the city's YouTube channel — DanvilleVaGov.
River City TV does not air work sessions, but they are open to the public.