VIRGINIA BEACH
Nobody sounded too happy at Tuesday's budget meetings, as council members lamented their choices, tax activists balked at higher fees, and Lake Edward advocates clamored for a community center.
In the end, the City Council adopted its $1.76 billion operating budget for fiscal 2009. The vote was 9-2, with Reba McClanan and Bill DeSteph voting no. The council also agreed to a $220 million capital plan to improve roads, schools and other public infrastructure.
The spending plans leave the real estate tax rate at 89 cents per $100 of assessed value - but rising home assessments mean many people will pay more in real estate taxes this year.
The budget doesn't raise taxes on pleasure boats, although City Manager Jim Spore had proposed it. The c ouncil also voted to increase the taxes on business machinery, tolls and cigarettes and agreed to about 50 fee increases intended to shift more program costs to users.
"You're taxing every possible thing you can," activist John McMullen said.
Council members also approved a plan to build a pedestrian bridge over Virginia Beach Boulevard to connect Town Center and Pembroke Mall. The money would come from a new taxing district, but Vice Mayor Louis Jones said it won't be built until the mall's owners commit to a significant investment in their property.
Sandy Linkous of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance told council members if the bridge is so important, than the mall owners can pay for it with little city help.
"Virginia Beach families are hurting," she said, "and there seems to be no economic relief in sight."
A surprise topic for the night was funding for a new community center that would serve the Lake Edward community.
The city plans to build a new center in the western part of the Bayside district, but Lake Edward advocates say it's too far from their troubled neighborhood and too many years away. Officials estimate the center is at least five years from opening.
Several advocates blasted the decisions to spend money on other projects - including an animal shelter and bike lanes - when they won't spend roughly $350,000 a year to operate a temporary center for Lake Edward.
"Creative minds run this city," said Henderson Vaughan, a city resident. "Can we take another moment to say... 'Can we afford to lose a future generation?' "
Mayor Meyera Oberndorf said the city is helping the area. Hours before the budget was passed, she pushed to add in more than $61,000 to pay for a summer program for 100 or so Lake Edward youngsters.
But in the push-and-pull of budget adoptions, the passionate pleas of Lake Edward advocates for more money was followed by others pleading for less spending.
"You've had a glorious run," John Moss, chair of the Taxpayer Alliance, told council members. "It's time to suck it in... you're balancing the budget on the backs of the citizens."
Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com
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Moss had his chance......
John Moss wasn't a good representative for Kempsville, goodness knows we don't want him to have the chance to be Mayor as a reward for turning a deaf ear to the residents of Kempsville.
No sense in going from the frying pan into the fire....
Actually, any council person
Actually, any council person must take multiple variables into account, but in the end, how any member could vote against a budget as responsive to the times as this one is beyond me. Now Mrs. McClanan always votes no, so no need to analyze that vote. However, Bill DeSteph ran on a pro business, smart development platform, and his supporters are bound to be deeply disappointed at the turn he has taken on Council. Despite the proof that the public private ventures have been very successful in producing additional tax revenue to replace the annually shrinking percentage of support from the Commonwealth, he has repudiated his platform and his promises made when he ran, and that does not bode well for future elections.
Good job Reba and Bill!
I have been remiss in saying "Thank you". I appreciate the vote by Councilpersons Reba McClanan and Bill DeSteph to simply say "No" to a budget that failed to offer tax releif to over taxed Beach families. For the past 7 years the city's budget has exploded with out of control spending and the city's development authority has piled up well over $1 Billion in debt. Only Councilpersons Reba McClanan and Bill DeSteph did the right thing - they voted "No". Other than those two folks it it past time we voters show the rest of City Council the door. How blessed we are to have John Moss running for office so that we can have a new Mayor - a hard working professional and family man with integrity, intelligence, and wisdom. Someone that understands the need for tax relief and how to manage a large workforce and billion dollar budgets.
Think about the numbers alone
$1.76B dollars...
That's 1,760 million dollars! Another way, that's a million dollars one thousand seven hundred and sixty times. That's staggering folks.
That Va Beach needs that much money to operate is terrifying!
Greased
With the greasy palm dealing by the hobbit and her minions, I'm sure they all have a boat - wouldn't want to tax those too much, now would we???
Lake Edward project
WHY is the city paying sisty one thousand for about 100 children's summer program? What happened to parental responsibility? Why is this the business of the city? If the program is needed, have the parents pay or volunteer. I could run a summer long program with minimum waged paid high school students for 100 kids for one tenth that. I wonder what friend of the city is being enriched with this program!
Bring in a special prosecutor
Time for a special prosecutor investigation, or FBI investigation to look at City counils actions in relation to the wealth their campaign contributors and family members are making at the expense of taxpayers. From shady eminent domain deals, stealing from a poor land owner and making freinds very wealthy; to deals to buy land then sell it for less money; etc. We are seeing either vast corruption here in the City or an extreme socialist shift from private control of businesses to more and more governemnt owned and run businesses, only causing the private businesses to suffer. Corruption or socialism, neither is good.
dumb council-lead by stupid mayor
Can’t say I am surprised, but I was hoping!!! Please explain why they said yes to the bridge? 3 million dollars, when all they needed to do was lower the speed, have the light longer for people to cross and maybe add some police. Do they just love spending money? Do they not understand that middle class (if there is such a thing anymore) are struggling to survive and yet they go ahead with this STUPID BRIDGE!! Gee, glad boat tax didn’t go up??? I am guessing the mayor and council have no common sense and really don’t care!
Taxemdorf Agan!!! Vote Them Out!!!!
Remermber Lost millions to Brac... Wasted Millions!!!! Stealing property from the poor to give to the rich. Tax the poor to give to the Rich... Vote Them Out!!!!!!
Poor Michael...
I'm stunned at your cavalier attitude regarding the VBTA. Thankfully, there is a grass-roots group that is concerned about this runaway train that is VB City Council. DeSteph and McClanahan aside, this group, including the queen hobbit, Tax-em-dorf, knows no tax they don't like and will squeeze the last nickel out of the citizens of Va Beach long before they ever look for cost saving measures or actually creating a city budget based on NEEDS. Whoa! There's a novel idea - a budget based on needs...
See, what happens is they shove this stuff down your throats, then you get used to it, then they shove some more, and you get used to it again. Then a short while later, they shove some more down your throat, and still a little more a little further down the road. By the time you realize what's happened, you're calling a bankruptcy attorney, trying to figure out why you can't pay your real estate taxes, getting used to the idea of Ramen noodles, driving (if you can afford a car) a Yugo, and putting clothes on your children from the CHKD thrift store. But according to the hobbit, this is one of the greatest places to live in the country. I guess it is if you're getting the profi
VBTA
Like anyone cares what the VBTA radicals think? Uh last I checked...it costs money to do things. I'm surprised the Pilot features them heavily.