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COUNCIL CHAMBER - January 6, 2003 <br /> <br /> Council met in regular session on this date with the following members present: <br />Mr. Caravati, Mr. Cox, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Richards, Mr. Schilling. <br /> <br />AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS <br />: Probation and Parole Office Employees <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox reco gnized Ms. Jill Maliszewski and Mr. Neal Goodloe, employees of <br />the Charlottesville - Albemarle Probation and Parole Office, for their role in saving the <br />lives of others and their own when a client held Ms. Maliszewski at knifepoint. <br /> <br />PUBLIC <br /> <br /> There were no m atters by the public. <br /> <br />REPORT <br />: JOURNEY OF LEARNING - BURLINGTON, VERMONT <br /> <br /> Mr. O'Connell explained that local officials and community members have visited <br />a number of similar communities around the country in the past few years and recently <br />visited Burlin gton, Vermont. <br /> <br /> Mr. Satyendra Huja, Director of Strategic Planning, said that the trip was taken by <br />19 participants representing the City, Albemarle County, Chamber of Commerce and the <br />private sector on October 15, 2002. Burlington Vermont is similar in size and population <br />to Charlottesville, has a successful pedestrian mall, and is home to a major university. <br />Mr. Huja said that the purpose of the trip was to learn new creative ideas which may be <br />of assistance to Charlottesville. <br /> <br /> Ms. Cheri Lewis, Plann ing Commission member, and Mr. Mike Gaffney, <br />Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, reported on the areas discussed during the trip <br />to Burlington, including the arts; housing, including affordable housing; university <br />relations; planning and zoning; and econ omic development. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards noted that in the areas of housing and university relations, local <br />governments in Vermont have tools available that are not available in Virginia. She said <br />we need to make a stronger push with the State to give local gover nments more <br />autonomy and flexibility. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said he feels the trip to Burlington was an extraordinary exchange that <br />will have long - term benefits. He said we do not have the common vision for the future <br />that Burlington has. He said he found Burlington 's structure for the arts incredible. <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said he feels Burlington was very aggressive and proactive for a <br />local government. He noted that they have had deep resources and have been able to <br />leverage additional resources. <br /> <br /> Mr. Schilling said he feels the emphasis on a unified vision with the business <br />community and citizens and the university component in Burlington is very important <br />and something we should strive for. Mr. Schilling said that while he finds many things <br />that Burlington is doing n ice, he noted that they have a tax rate of $2.06 and a budget <br />150% the size of our budget, both things we should be aware of. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards said we are also a city on water, and feels we need to develop a <br />vision about how the City relates to the Rivanna R iver. She said there is the potential for <br />that with the proposal to locate the Lewis and Clark Center on the Rivanna River. <br /> <br />REPORT <br />: YEAR END REVIEW <br /> <br /> Mr. O'Connell reviewed awards, news articles, and accomplishments with a series <br />of slides and a video of the City's Leadership Team. <br /> <br />CONSENT AGENDA <br />