Happy Friday, Manassas!
As the Regional Editor for Manassas, I’ll be starting a series where I preview each Manassas City Council meeting so you know what’s going on, what to listen for, and how to talk about it later.
Important links
Key agenda items
Outdoor licensing agreement for Voodoo Brothers Cajun Creole
City Council will consider the use of a portion of the public sidewalk in the historic downtown for outdoor dining for Voodo Brothers on 9112 Center St.
Proposed settlement of opioid-related claims against Kroger and related corporate entities
City Council will consider participating in the sharing of proceeds from a national settlement involving Kroger’s pharmacy. The city’s share of the settlements is unknown at this point, but the estimated total is $1.2 billion to be paid by Kroger over a period of 11 years.
The city has participated in similar settlements; in 2021, City Council approved participation in a nationwide settlement against the three largest distributors of pharmaceutical opioids and a manufacturer. In 2023, City Council approved participation in a settlement against two pharmaceutical manufacturers and three pharmacies.
Ordinance to allow the city manager/designee to reduce speed limits in construction zones
City Council will consider allowing the city manager to reduce speed limits in construction zones without an engineering and traffic investigation, as stated in the current city code.
“It is to be expected that the city manager or designated ‘expert’ employee would have the knowledge to accurately assess the need and safety benefit of an immediate and temporary speed reduction, without the need for a formal engineering and traffic investigation,” the agenda statement reads.
Proposed by the Manassas Public Works Department, these reductions wouldn’t last more than 60 days. The department’s justification for this explicit language change is to reduce the overall construction timeline for projects.
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