City Council will meet Tuesday, March 21, in a business session at 7 p.m., followed by a work session. Both 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 session 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 a budget amendment to provide for receipt of a grant in the amount of $413,269 to renovate the house at 407 Holbrook St. for use as the Williams Community Resource Center. The grant does not require a local match.
The project is designed to protect and enhance the integrity of the historically significant structure as well as create a location open to the public where the past, present and future of African American Civil Rights can be displayed, discussed and advanced.
The Williams Community Resource Center will house two dwelling units on the upper level and two offices, a conference room and exhibit hall on the lower level. The Danville chapter of the NAACP and the Danville branch of Legal Aid will occupy the lower level offices. Through a partnership with the Danville Historical Society, the exhibit hall will become a permanent display for items significant to the Williams family and the local civil rights movement.
The single-family dwelling was built in 1910 by Robert Allen, an African American brick mason, craftsman and elder at Holbrook Presbyterian Church. It served as home to Jerry Lee Williams Sr., his wife Ida Allen and their children. The family was active in the Civil Rights movement. Williams served as an attorney for the local chapter of the NAACP, his wife was a schoolteacher and an officer with the NAACP, and their sons, Robert and Jerry Jr., were also active with the NAACP and helped to plan the 1960’s student protests in Danville.
City Council also is scheduled to vote on four other matters:
- A budget amendment to provide for receipt and appropriation of a grant in the amount of $60,000 from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for use by the Danville Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team. The grant would require no local matching funds.
- An ordinance to create a civil penalty system for maintenance code violations.
- An ordinance to provide for civil penalties for zoning violations.
- A resolution to designate Utilities Director Jason Grey to represent the City as a member of the board of trustees for American Municipal Power. Danville participates in several electric generation projects with this power agency.
In addition to these votes, City Council will hold a first reading on two matters:
- A transfer of $1.5 million from reserve funds for the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to purchase the White Mill property. The property consists of eight parcels, which are considered critical tracts of land for strategic redevelopment of the River District as a world class riverfront. The IDA is considering a purchase agreement that calls for a $1.5 million payment in the current fiscal year and a $1.5 million payment in the following fiscal year, which begins July 1.
- A budget amendment to provide for receipt and appropriation of a grant in the amount of $237,832 from the University of Virginia and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute for child obesity treatment programs. The grant has been awarded to the Parks and Recreation Department for use over a three-year period.
A first reading is an introductory step required by City code before certain matters can be voted upon by City Council. This step serves to provide public notice of pending action. Council cannot vote on the budget amendment Tuesday. The earliest vote that can take place will be the March 7 City Council meeting.
For the work session, City Manager Ken Larking will submit a working draft of the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. City Council will hold a series of work sessions over the following weeks to review the proposed budget. Public hearings will be scheduled at a later date.
The agenda also includes the following items:
- Discussion of resolutions to widen Mount Cross Road.
- Discussion of resolutions to convey tax foreclosed properties to the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Industrial Development Authority.
- Review of monthly financial statements.
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.
River City TV does not air work sessions, but they are open to the public.
