The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Faced with the worst economy in decades and the potential for deep budget cuts or tax increases, Mayor Will Sessoms gave an upbeat outlook of Virginia Beach's future during his annual State of the C ity address Thursday.
Sessoms trumpeted the expansion of Geico and Avis Budget Group, which he announced will bring 210 jobs to Virginia Beach in the next year. He also highlighted the city's achievements over the past 20 years, from the development and growth of Town Center and the clean up of the Oceanfront to building the Lake Gaston pipeline, which provides Virginia Beach and neighboring cities its water.
The song "I Can See Clearly Now," with its lyrics about the coming of a bright, sunshiny day, kicked off the event. In the more than half-hour speech, Sessoms devoted about 15 sentences to the city's economic challenges.
"We could take a dark view of the coming years, but I'm asking you to walk with me and approach this time as a great opportunity," Sessoms said.
Everyone knows the economy is shaky, Sessoms said, and he wanted to focus on what Virginia Beach should be like in 20 years.
"We have to plan for it," Sessoms said, pointing out the city has been successful because of its planning efforts.
Among Sessoms' visions for the city: Light rail and high-speed rail, a wind-energy industry based off the city's coast, a new convention center hotel, and the conversion of the former Dome site into an entertainment center.
"We could be, we should be, the Silicon Valley of alternative energy," Sessoms said.
How Virginia Beach will pay for these ventures is still unclear.
City Manager Jim Spore is scheduled to present his spending plan for 2010- 11 in less than two weeks. He will have to close an $84 million-plus shortfall between the city and schools, and officials have discussed cutting positions, raising the real-estate tax rate, and implementing a new garbage fee.
"We'll deal with those issues as they're presented to us," said Vice Mayor Louis Jones about the budget.
The State of the City address is traditionally a pep rally for the city and business community, Councilman Bill DeSteph said.
"The purpose of the address is to get people energized and feeling good," he said. "And, I think it accomplished that."
Other council members gave Sessoms credit for putting the tough choices city officials have to make in perspective.
The Lake Gaston project, for example, was initially controversial. But most residents now agree it was the right decision, Councilman Jim Wood said.
"The economy is a big issue, but that's a blip in time," Wood said.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
We need to check on that
We need to check on that school funding issue. It was reported yesterday that VB spends more than 50% of it's operating budget on schools, they even showed a pie chart with over 50% for schools. This should be an easy question to clear up.
Disagree with the poster who
Disagree with the poster who says NOVA schools are superior to ours, don't believe it. Over half our operating budget goes to education, we have beautiful new buildings and great teachers. The Mayor wants to bring in industries that create jobs and tax revenue, wants to deal with transportation, preserve the military investment here, and work collaboratively with the other cities in the region to accomplish these things. The biggest help to neighborhoods would be to ensure everyone can get a decent job, have business development help with the tax burden, and deal with transportation ( there are no state or federal dollars available anymore for roads, only mass transit projects like high speed and light rail ). The Mayor has laid out a path that will do these things, I say move on, despite those who say do nothing, or focus on only the neighborhoods, whatever that means ( better neighborhood signs, more housing inspectors, what are they talking about? ).
Check the National Rankings...
of public schools by Newsweek or any other publication, there are more schools from NoVa listed than Hampton Roads (VB).
Next....the city does not spend 50% of it's budget on the the schools...it gives 51.3% of seven (7) revenue streams to the school's and that percentage was reduced about 3/4 years ago. The city actually only gives around 35% of it's total budget to the schools.
3/ When you have a School Board Chair that doesn't feel like he is an advocate for the schools, you've got a problem. He has announced..and even argued why he wasn't an advocate...on more than one occassion. And when you have a SB that picks Superintendent's and SB member's based not on their strength's, but whether or not they are "too teacher friendly"...you've got another problem.
Those, Mr./Ms. Boomerang, don't make for anything but mediocrity. Does that mean teacher's aren't doing a good job...no...but it also doesn't breed an outstanding school division.
Ironic but true
Thanks Al, but in fact, the entire speech was directly or indirectly aimed at improving the living conditions and prosperity of all of our citizens, most of whom, by the way, are most pleased and supportive of the services we receive in Virginia Beach. I continue to find it incredibly ironic that you and the neanderthals at the VBTA oppose the very commercial development that actually reduces the residential tax rate. That is, you actively and aggressively lobby against the very interest you say you hold most important; that is, tax relief for homeowners. Don't you know that commercial development requires little to no community services, produces much higher tax revenue, does not complain lke the VBTA, and develops products that are supported by the market? Yes, actually you do, but that still does not stop you and the less than 16% of the electorate who have your heads stuck in the sand.
I don't think anyone opposes
I don't think anyone opposes commercial developement as long as you use YOUR money Mikey. Are you going to return the $135K to the taxpayers then? If commercial developement produces all this revenue, then place like NY City should be busting at the seams with cash. Right Mike??
Curious
My property tax did indeed go down this year. But as I notice it was due to the decreased in value of my property, but the VB council is going to raise the tax rate to make my property tax go back up.
So when will all this commercial development I am investing in indeed make my property tax go down? And stay down.
As I undderstand, residents fund about 85 percent of the tax burden, while commercial/development is at 15 percent? Is that going to change with all this new development? And when will it change?
You continue to muddy the waters and inflate the content of the
Mayors speech. Cant you take a step without insulting anyone who is in disagreement with you? There is a big difference between indirectly and directly. Why don't we do a direct mailing to all of our 171,000 households to find out exactly how they are making ends meet? We could even mail the survey with a utility bill so it will not cost us. The commercial sector can't possibly reduce the residential tax burden in any meaningful way when 85% of our real estate & property tax is absorbed by residents. Again you need to stop using your own facts! They are fictional at best. We have the most disproportionate tax base in the nation! This City will never be anything more than a sprawling bedroom community and their is nothing wrong with that except that the City is using massive surplus tax dollars to subsidize special interest. Their is nothing wrong with commercial growth but let them do it with their own nickel. Commercial requires no services? Are you kidding. What do you call police and safety when thousands of calls are directed to the resort area or town center each year. What about the dedicated citywide revenue that is removed from the tax base to support special interest
Mike. The speech did not contain any words or express any
concerns about the plight of our financially clobbered residents. Once again, the primary economic engine in this City was totally ignored.. Not a single sentence offering a strategy to help the 171,000 households who plop down 85% of the tax base and an equal amount to support almost $5 billion in retail sales. The massive contribution by residents Include most of the financial support for 12.9 million sf of retail space. Same story for the debt ceiling and debt service. Almost $3 billion since 2000 were primarily bankrolled with residents real estate assets of $47 billion. Check out the sober comments from the Speaker from one of the greatest City's in the world. Much of her remarks were directed to NYC constituents who are clearly hurting. http://council.nyc.gov/html/soc/2010/docs/soc_speech.pdf I will give the Mayor the benefit of the doubt that he may even be well intentioned. He is uninformed about the needs of his constituents and the small business community. Problem is that he is controlled by folks who are relentlessly pre occupied with anchoring their own investments with City tax dollars.
Classic doubletalk
Anybody find this case of doublespeak hillarious.
"Plan for it" or "Deal With it" when presented.
"We have to plan for it," Sessoms said, pointing out the city has been successful because of its planning efforts.
and
""We'll deal with those issues as they're presented to us," said Vice Mayor Louis Jones about the budget."
A Pragmatic Vision Is Needed.....
Frankly, I can't believe the Mayor is still promoting the light rail after the recent negative press. I have yet to hear a practical argument in favor of this plan. The path of LR does not provide enough of a "build and they will come" incentive. If the state has gotten out of the "road building business," who's going to foot the bill for light rail? It will have to be totally on the backs of local taxpayers. The traffic, compared to other large cities, is only bad at specific times of the day...and where there are major problems, the light rail doesn't go.
The D.C. Metro just increased fees...and they have traffic problems 24/7.
A vision..maximizing and maintaining the delivery of public services (education, safety, public health, libraries, trash collection, etc) should be at the top of the list of priorities during down economic times. Attracting higher paying jobs, wind farm, etc., are also ideas worth further examination. But, until the city leaders can more clearly articulate and produce user studies supporting the feasibility of light rail...to continue to discuss this issue is wasting time that could be better spent elsewhere.