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55 Mr. Caravati made a motion to approve the lease and Mr. Schilling seconded the motion. Mr. Lynch said he supports the lease, but would like more information from Public Works and Economic Development about why the building has not been leased since it has been vacant since August. He said he thinks we should continue to lease the property at better terms. Ms. Judy Mueller, Director of Public Works, said that a premium was paid for the land because of the location. She said the building is in need of major repairs. She said it has always been believed that the building would be demolished, and it is only in the last several weeks that consultants have developed a conceptual plan for retaining the building. She said it is unknown whether that is possible at this point. The Short-Term Lease for 1545 Avon Street to Universal Pictures was approved by the following vote. Ayes: Dr. Brown, Mr. Caravati, Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Schilling. Noes: None. BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, after a public hearing held in accordance with Virginia Code Section 15.2-1800(B), that the City Manager is hereby authorized to execute on behalf of the City the following document, in form approved by the City Attorney. Lease between the City of Charlottesville and UNIVERSAL-PICTURES, a division of Universal City Studios, LLP, for premises while the building located at 1545 Avon Street Extended, Charlottesville, Virginia Mr. O’Connell said that the funds generated from the lease will go to the transit system. REPORT : SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION TASK FORCE Dr. Brown said that after the public hearing in the fall, he proposed that a Task Force be established. He presented a proposed charge and composition as follows. Charge: Investigate ward-based school board elections. Evaluate not only the merits of 4-ward, 5-ward, 6-ward, all ward (or no ward) systems, but also how wards might be reasonably drawn, considering factors such as numerical balance, racial makeup, contiguity, compactness, neighborhoods and schools. The Task Force should strive to present two or three choices for Council consideration, with discussion of value and policy implications of each choice; if there is consensus among the committee on one th particular choice it should be noted. Report to Council July 17. Composition: former Mayor (Tom Vandever); former School Board Chair (Rauzelle Smith); former Electoral Board (Leroy Hamlett; Democratic representative (Lloyd Snook); Republican representative (Charles Weber); NAACP (Rick Turner); QCC (Karen Waters); League of Women Voters (Loren Intolubee-Chmil; and Center for Government (Ken Stroupe). Mr. Caravati said staffing of the Task Force is very important, and asked how it will be staffed. He said the tasks are largely legal, and will include doing research on examples nationally. Ms. Sheri Iachetta, Voter Registrar, said she has interns in her office who will help and she feels her office will be able to staff the Task Force. Mr. Schilling made a motion to support the charge and composition of the Task Force. Regarding the charge, Mr. Schilling said that wherever legal advice will be coming from, they should determine the parameters other areas are operating under. Ms. Hamilton seconded the motion. Mr. Lynch said he would add to the charge including both the one time and 10 year annual costs to create and update ward boundaries.