City Council will meet Tuesday, July 16, 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.
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.
During the business session, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a budget amendment to provide for state grant funds for regional bus service to Halifax and Pittsylvania counties.
The grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation would finance up to 80 percent of the operating expenses for the first year of bus service from Danville to Hurt and from Danville to South Boston.
The regional bus operation would involve an additional 24 hours of daily weekday service that would be provided by the Danville Transit System. Extra drivers and administrative staff must be hired. The new service could begin once the transit system is fully staffed.
In 2016, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center partnered with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a transit feasibility study for an 11-county area in Virginia. Completed in 2017, the study and the consultant firm recommended that regional transportation service should initially be provided for two corridors that maintain the greatest demand including the U.S. Route 29 corridor and the U.S. Route 58 corridor. Additional study findings suggested that the Danville Transit System would be the optimal provider to offer service along these corridors to Hurt and South Boston.
The new service would improve employment, educational, shopping and medical opportunities for the region's residents by reducing transportation barriers for many citizens. Service schedules would align with shift time needs for major employers.
Several other matters are on the agenda for the business session. Votes are scheduled on:
- A budget amendment to provide for state grant funds for aviation maintenance. Virginia airports to receive up to $100,000 in state aid each year. Eligible maintenance activities include scheduled and unscheduled repairs that are not performed each quarter. State maintenance funds can also be used to obtain grounds equipment.
- Amendments to the employment agreements for the city manager and city attorney.
- A resolution rescheduling the first meeting of City Council in August from Tuesday, Aug. 6, to Thursday, Aug. 8, in order to allow City Council members to attend National Night Out events on Aug. 6.
During the work session, the City Council will discuss the donation of parking fines to the Danville Public Schools Education Foundation. In addition, City Council will discuss appointments to boards and commissions.