Let’s take a look at what’s on tonight’s Danville City Council agenda. We’ll have LIVE! coverage of the meeting tonight (but you already knew that). Heh.
Let’s get a Big Board up…
- Although the business meeting starts at 6:30 PM, Council will have a closed session with City Attorney Clarke Whitfield. He’ll give his legal opinion on what council can and can’t do on the Confederate flag issue.
- Roll call, John Gilstrap will do the invocation, then the Pledge of Allegiance. There’s nothing listed under announcements and recognitions for tonight.
- Next, it’s the public comment session. I expect more people to talk about the Confederate flag issue. By the way, that’s not on tonight’s agenda but I expect it will get discussed at the work session (even though it’s not on that agenda either). After that, the minutes will get approved and it’s on to the business.
- Old business is just one item, and it’s the final adoption of getting a $22K grant for the police department. “Mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets are often used by criminals to coordinate or document criminal activity. Danville police officers are increasingly confronted with the need to search these mobile devices (pursuant to a search warrant) to obtain evidence and intelligence to prevent, solve and prosecute crimes. The purchase of the forensic extraction device will allow officers the ability to rapidly access, collect, analyze, and preserve evidentiary data in these devices. We currently have to send the devices to the state forensic lab or use an extraction device from another agency.”
- Moving to new business, and we’ve got a lot. First, Council will talk about an ordinance to stop problems like Madison Whittle had when the zoning laws put people in an impossible situation. then it’s a rezoning request for a car repair shop on Watson St.
- Next, it’s a weird rezoning request that will probably go down in flames. Two property owners from New Jersey are asking to rezone a property on Goodyear Blvd so that it will be easier to sell. Everybody who responded to the comment request was against it, and the planning commission voted against it. Let’s see if these property owners show up to justify their request.
- We move to authorizing Joe King to apply for a grant for more Riverwalk Trail money.
- Next, we get back to that 1045 Main Street building where the owner has been put through the city wringer for installing vinyl replacement windows. The Commission for Architectural Review said “No. No. No.” and the guy is fighting that. It’s not even a “historical building”. I expect Council to tell the CAR to shove it.
- The repayment of Tobacco Commission money for GOK and Web Parts will pass because the city has no choice. Interestingly, Joe King’s letter on this says “Both companies have failed”, which is the city’s first acknowledgement that GOK isn’t coming back like they said they were going to. I CALLED IT!
- Airport improvements, a temporary extension in the Comcast franchise, and replacing a totaled city bus (never heard anything about that wreck?) will follow and then Council will approve a raise in the electric fund’s deficit account from $2 million to $20 million for the next four years. considering it’s already $20 million in the hole, it’s got to be done.
- Around the horn time will wrap it up, then on to the work session. The work session has routine things with one amusing detail. Currently, you have to pay cash for a city burial plot. They’ll consider accepting other forms of payment. Welcome to 2014. There will be another closed session about the Confederate flag issue, and it’s legally closed because of that threat to sue the city if the flag is moved.
It’s going to be a long night. We’ll have the only LIVE! coverage featuring commentary, photos and all of the happenings.
[…] Danville City Council Preview (10/21/14) […]