The Berryville Beat

Dispatches from the Berryville Town Council

As 2019 dawns, there is a lot going on in the Town of Berryville. The Town Council is hard at work on several initiatives as we draw closer to the annual budget season.In addition to our monthly Town Council meeting, the council also has five council committees. The committees serve as a time for members to review initiatives, programs and more, and provide a recommendation to the full council at a future meeting. As always, all Town Council business and committee meetings are open to the public, and we always welcome your input.

Personnel, Appointments & Policy is chaired by Recorder Jay Arnold, and includes Mayor Patricia Dickinson and Council Member Erecka Gibson. Streets & Utilities is chaired by Council Member Diane Harrison, and includes Mayor Dickinson. Public Safety is chaired by Council Member Donna McDonald, and includes Council Member Harrison and Mayor Dickinson. Budget & Finance is chaired by Council Member Gibson, and includes Council Member Kara Rodriguez and Mayor Dickinson. Community Development is chaired by Council Member Rodriguez, and includes Council Members Harrison and McDonald.

The Personnel Committee is looking to allow an additional line of communication for Facebook followers, as the Town Council will be reviewing a social media policy that could establish Facebook pages for the Town of Berryville and the Berryville Police Department. This policy would also outline social media guidelines for town employees and elected town officials. Policies will be adopted to meet the legal requirements of archiving all content. 

At January’s Streets & Utilities Committee, members discussed the results of the surveys submitted by citizens as it related to stormwater issues, or non issues, they were having at their property. We found a number of situations that were new due to 2018’s wet weather, but also a number who have had a history of issues in basements and yards. These homes have experienced an increase in the water this past year. We looked at three areas to have the town manager look into having engineered: the Jackson Pond, the Town Run, and homes abutting the Battlefield Estates development and including impact to Walnut Street if changes were made. This will be presented to council in February to release funding from the monies already in the stormwater fund.

The Public Safety Committee is in the process of reviewing Chapter 20 of the town code, which focuses on special event regulations on town property and public spaces. The objective of the review is to first formulate a policy that incorporates the interests and safety of the event sponsors, as well as members of the public in the use of public space. The regulations and processes within the policy, once reviewed by legal counsel, will then be incorporated into the town code. The committee is simultaneously reviewing Chapter 8 of the town code in the same fashion. Chapter 8 concerns regulations associated with garbage and recycling. Further, we anticipate changes to the town trash collection program, particularly in regards to recycling. At our next council meeting, February 12, the council will be considering whether to eliminate glass collection from our 
recycling program. 

The Budget & Finance Committee, like the rest of the council, is anticipating the arrival of budget season, as we prepare to review the fiscal year 2020 budget, which will take effect July 1. The committee’s next meeting, Thursday, February 28, at 10:30am, will be the first work session on the town manager’s proposed budget. The full council will have its first budget work session Tuesday, March 12, ahead of our regularly scheduled monthly meeting. In January, the committee also continued its review of online payment options for water and sewer bills, something we hope to implement in the future.

Finally, the Community Development Committee went over potential changes to the berryvilleva.gov website, as the council has previously indicated a desire to revamp the website. We received a briefing on the logistics, pricing and timeline for such an update, and took a look at website updates that have worked for 
other municipalities. 

This monthly column is authored by the members of the Berryville Town Council. For more information on town government, including meetings, agendas, and contact information for the Town Council and town staff, visit 
www.berryvilleva.gov.