City Council recap: debate over council process and roadways

The mayor’s budget for the city of Richmond was approved unanimously at the last City Council meeting after a heated debate, but a relative calm settled over the council at yesterday’s meeting. Still, feathers were ruffled over rushing a bill through City Council about a problematic stretch of Parkwood Avenue.

June 14, 2011; 2:26 PM • by Caroline Jackson

Councilman Charles Samuels of the Second District proposed a bill for “expedited consideration.” He hoped to secure approval to push the bill through and get $1,522 dollars out of his district’s discretionary fund to pay for printing and mailing of a newsletter. Councilman Bruce Tyler was concerned with the proposed breach of City Council procedure.

“I don’t understand why we are sitting here expediting this paper,” Tyler said. “Obviously, I understand eventually it is going to be approved but why are we circumventing the system we have in place?”

Tyler pointed out there was an upcoming Finance Committee meeting in two weeks, at which point the bill could be seen and subsequently voted on “In a normal, organized fashion,” he said. “I just do not see a need for this to go forward.”

But Councilman Martin Jewell argued this particular case warranted an exception to the process.

“I know of no time that the public objects to us using discretionary funds for posting and mailing news to their constituents,” he said. “Expediting has a lot to do with when the next meeting is. In my case, I announce when the next meeting is in my newsletter. How better to get it out there and to get it out there before the meeting actually occurs?” Jewell also pointed out that the funds are specifically there for council members to serve their constituents. “I understand my colleague worrying about this happening with something else but they don’t call them discretionary funds for nothing! ” he said. All but Tyler voted yes on the proposal.

The public comment period at last night’s meeting was unusually mild with, however, one exception. Mark Brandon of the Fan District Association and Maymont Civic League spoke passionately about his concerns with Parkwood Avenue, on which Lamplighter Roasting Company is located and where heavy traffic from the Downtown Expressway lets out. A year ago, a proposal passed to make the street a one-way to reduce congestion and improve area safety, but Brandon said the road is still problematic.

“We didn’t get four-way stops. The engineers said we would get some sort of [speed bump]. We didn’t get that,” he said. “And I’ll just sum up by saying that no property owner was ever notified by the city after the change went through.”

Brandon said besides the lack of signage, the road also has a speed limit of 30mph.

“That’s something that the engineers didn’t know, that you folks didn’t know, the Community Assisted Public Safety person didn’t know,” he said. “And I’d just like to say that bad legislation happens when due diligence isn’t done by Council and staff. Votes should be made by you guys based on what’s best for the neighborhood, not by council protocol or other things.”

Jewell, whose district the strip of road lies in, disagreed with what Brandon said.

“You know that it is not true that no one was notified. In fact, Mr. Jones went up and down that street notifying folks. And I happen to know that,” he said.

Jewell defended the City Council’s decision to change the street to a uniform one-way but no plans were made to add the additional stop signs to the intersection of Addison and Parkwood, or to change the speed limit.

Photos by: John Garcia