Martinsville City Council discussed matters involving the upcoming budget and proposed amendments to the city’s Nuisance Ordinance at a meeting last week.
Michael Upton, CPA with Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates, and based in Charlottesville, gave a presentation on the annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal 2023.
Upton said the city received “a clean opinion” on the annual audit. “That is the best opinion that we can offer, and essentially what that means is that the financial statements as presented are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Additionally, “we assess the internal control environment for the purpose of developing our audit procedures and in so doing, if we come across anything that is a deficiency in internal controls we deem to be significant, or if it’s a material weakness in our minds, then we’re required to iterate and relay that information,” Upton said. “I’m pleased to report that there were no deficiencies in the control environment that we deemed to be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses.”
After a review of the four programs to fulfill the federal single audit requirement, Upton said, “we did not find any instances of noncompliance as it pertains that the compliance requirements established in the uniform guidance.”
The audit also showed that the city’s revenue in 2023 exceeded its expenses by $1.8 million.
“This is the best performing year the city of Martinsville has on record as far back as I can see in terms of the final position,” Vice Mayor Aaron Rawls said. “That’s pretty cool.”
Community Development Director Keith Holland told the council that two new building inspectors have been hired and will begin working with the city in October. Holland discussed issues the city has with the costs of maintaining overgrown lots. He believes that some of the financial issues can be resolved by planting low-growth vegetation, such as clover. A proposed amendment allows the city to reseed unattended lots with low-maintenance vegetation after three notices of violation. However, many naturally wooded lots would be exempted from this policy.
One proposed amendment would reduce the height limit of vegetation, from 18- to 10-inches, and another is extending the enforcement area from 50- to 150 feet from the street, which would include back yards in many cases.
This amendment was questioned by members of the council, with Rawls encouraging building officials to look into other cities in Virginia to find the average enforcement area. Other amendments would require mandatory cutting of vegetation twice a year, and a limit of 40 tires within the enforcement area of a property.
Holland said the department also is working on a tracking system that would keep up with repeat calls on certain properties.
“We want to see action. If this ordinance is put in place, we expect to see it enforced,” Mayor LC Jones said.
Council members agreed that the building officials have been effective at addressing reported problems, but emphasized a desire for the team to be more “proactive.” Council members believe that the employees should not only address public nuisances after they are reported, but to take initiative and address any issues they see around the city themselves.
Councilmember Tammy Pearson noted that the proposed ordinance specifically refers to “weeds and grass” and that the language within the ordinance should be more specific in defining weeds.
Holland explained that the initiative is not to put anyone out of a home or penalize individuals who are unable to maintain their property, such as the disabled or elderly. Instead, the department intends to provide information about social services and assistance to residents in need.
Martinsville resident Michael Green discussed the suggested amendments, and concurred that the ordinance needs to be more specific with the language used to define weeds. Green elaborated on his experiences with overgrown properties encroaching on neighbors. The issues that he and his neighbors face are specifically with trees that are causing safety hazards and potential property damage.
The council will consider the proposed amendments at an upcoming meeting.
In other matters, the council:
*Set a public hearing on the Aaron Mills Senior Housing Project to be held during their next meeting on Feb. 27.
*The city’s Chief Information Officer presented a Budget Process Planning Calendar for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This document is available to the public online.
*Kendall Davis, public information officer, announced that the first ever Culture and Soul Expo would be held at the end of this month. This event is being held to celebrate Black History Month and the culture of the local black community. This event is a free ticketed event, but registration is requested online at Eventbrite.com. This event will be held 11 a.m. -1:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the New College Institute (NCI), 191 Fayette St., Martinsville.
