The Williamsburg City Council heard from College of William and Mary President Curt Mills ’13 at their Thursday meeting.
Mills addressed a number of successes experienced both in the past few years and in the past few weeks. He thanked the council for their part in the introduction of new establishments to Williamsburg, specifically the recently added Tribe Square Apartments, Dog Street Pub and Brickhouse Tavern.
Mills also discussed voter registration on campus and in the city as a whole.
“The public affairs department … is the largest it has ever been,” Mills said. “The voter base is expanding. Just this semester alone, we have gotten over 400 students, in three weeks, registered to vote.”
Mills also raised concerns about the relationship between the student body and Williamsburg law enforcement.
“Student confidence and trust in Williamsburg law enforcement is dangerously low at this point,” Mills said.
Mills encouraged the council to remember that social life is a universal part of college life. He also reminded the Council that when the new Greek housing complex is completed, it will hold fewer students and may cause many students to move off campus.
The Council also discussed changes proposed by Reed Nester for the Riverside Health Care Association that would alter parking and yard delineations in the construction area. The Council approved the ordinance for the special use permit.
“I think a lot of the feeling is to make sure we are not requiring more parking spaces than are actually needed,” Nester said.
The Council also discussed city manager reports, including the state taxation of localities to fund state projects. The Council called on the state government to put an end to this taxation.
The council also approved the purchase of a 1.75 acre property and four ordinances proposed at the meeting to adjust the city code.