The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
School teachers, police officers and other city employees had the same message Wednesday night for the City Council, We need money.
More than 70 people spoke at the city budget hearing at Granby High School, and for nearly three hours, most pleaded that cuts be avoided.
Faced with a decline in revenue of more than 3 percent, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams has proposed reductions in services she called regrettable but necessary.
The work force would be trimmed by 231, library and recreation hours would be cut, and the schools would receive $3 million less than what officials have said would fund a bare-bones budget.
"Have you lost your minds?" asked Virginia Davis, a child nutrition manager for the school system, about the proposed budget.
Faced with a $35 million decline in state funding, the School Board requested a $5.7 million revenue increase from the city. Williams gave the schools $2 million.
Even if the schools received the full $5.7 million increase, School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson said, "Valuable programs will be eliminated and for the third year in a row, there will be no pay raises."
"We know that fully funding the school budget requires sacrifices in other areas," Tonelson added.
Other school employees were less diplomatic, and criticized the City Council for spending millions on Town Point Park, light rail, land acquisition and the renovation of the battleship Wisconsin.
All of that occurred "while you allowed our schools to crumble," said Cindy Huffman of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers.
"Many of my colleagues are receiving pink slips," she added.
Peggy Scott, a Parent Teacher Association volunteer at Tarrallton Elementary, asked to restore cuts made to the in-school suspension program.
"I know if you look deep enough, you could find the money we need," she said.
Michael McKenna, president of the police union, said if 42 positions are cut from the department, as planned, crime will rise.
"When criminals realize that the thin blue line is thinner, it will be bad news," he said.
Retirees are being forced to absorb a 24 percent increase in health care costs. Meanwhile, some employees are bracing for layoffs.
"This is a very stressful time," said Jane Bethel of the employees union, saying the 24 percent increase for retirees is "unconscionable."
Officials from the Norfolk Public Library Foundation said they are willing to accept budget cuts.
"These are tough times," said Tom Jones of the library group.
Mayor Paul Fraim said most of the speakers were school employees, not parents of students.
"I think most parents realize that the city is trying to do its best to deal with drastic cuts in state funding," he said.
The council will hold its first work session on the budget at noon Tuesday at City Hall. The council likely will vote on the $1.1 billion budget May 18.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Common Sense, Taxes, and Service Cut-Backs
This is how my parents handled their household budget and it worked. When money was tight they took second jobs in order to bring more money into the household or if they could not increase the money coming into the home they cut-back on everything in order to save money.
This is a common sense approach to life but after reading the 39-comments about service cuts in the City of Norfolk it appears that governments are not expected to operate like households. Governments tax their citizens in order to provide services and jobs. They do not keep a bag full of money hidden under the bed for if they did this would indicate that taxes are excessive. When revenues to governments slow down they have the same options my parents had when confronting financial challenges, find more money to maintain what we had enjoyed or eat bolonga sandwiches a couple of times a weak instead of having steak.
Given the anti-tax sentiment that has gripped a large segment of the American public the City of Norfolk decided not to increase its revenues by charging its citizens higher taxes. Instead they opted to reduce expenses. This decision now manifests itself in job eliminations, frozen pay incre
So our great City of Norfolk
So our great City of Norfolk wants to cut everyones budget again.Well how
about this one.Has anyone ever driven by and seen six city employees standing around a hole that one man is digging while the others are talking to each other.Or how about the city garbage trucks that drive by the same neighborhood four and five times without picking up the trash just to meet three blocks away to park and talk.Or maybe you have seen the two and three police cars parking in the lots to talk for 20 or 25 minutes.I in fact have sent pictures of these things to our city manager and guess what,months later,same people doing the same things.So with this in mind,if you want to save money,get rid of the city manager and hire some one who will listen to the people.
Did you receive a reply?
When you sent a message to the city manager, did you receive a reply or any acknowlegment to your letter or email? It has been my experience that the city manager and the city council just ignore emails and don't bother to answer. Further, call a city agency, any city agency and ask a question and see if you get the correct answer. I asked the police where to get a bicycle license and was sent to the Commissioner of Revenue's office--WRONG ANSWER. I asked the division of storm water for an emergency number and was given the non-emergency police number--WRONG ANSWER. When I called back and after many "on holds", the woman admitted there was no emergency number for storm water. When I called to protest a water bill after the November nor'easter, I was told to call the city attorney's office--VERY WRONG ANSWER. It would be funny if it weren't so very true....this city government is full of incompetence from the very top to the very bottom. And they will tell you absolutely anything just to get you off the phone!
Council keeping up Appearances
City Council wants to be able to brag about what Norfolk has such as a newly renovated Town Point Park (wasn't needed), the battleship (no charge to get on it but we have to pay for upkeep), light rail (was too much to attempt at present). City employees haven't had raises and don't expect to get them for years while the cost of living continues to rise. If you see more workers than needed on a job, don't blame them blame their crew leader or supervisor. Those workers are needed to provide necessary City services; they just aren't being utilized properly.
Suggestions for saving money
The city should eliminate the second public affairs position from the Sheriff's office held by Paula Miller. Also get rid of all the city manager's friends on the payroll such as the convicted felon she created another position for after the citizens complained about the first job she gave him. Eliminate some of the "assistant to the city manager" positions. Save money by not sending water quality reports like the one mailed last week. Probably very few Norfolk residents take it seriously anyhow....I surely don't. We cannot trust the school testing reports but we are supposed to trust the water quality reports? Fire the school principal responsible for intimidation and crooked testing as well as more than a few others in the school administration building who are on the gravy train. These few items amount to a tidy sum. And, after doing these things, get rid of the current city manager. Honestly, she must really have some dirt on the council members for them to put up with her.
Haven't lost minds; have lost revenues; credit card maxed
You can only send out what you bring in; it's as simple as that. What must our schools do as a bare minimum: educate. What must public safety departments accomplish, bare minimum: Protect the citizens from crime and property from destruction/theft. In these economic times, and from these base points, everything that's truly non-essential should theoretically on the chopping block. Is that a hard reality? Yep. Cold hearted? Seemingly, if you think emotionally. Is it a better lesson to teach kids a credit card mentality: spend now, worry about paying for it later? That you needn't watch your pennies & spend, spend, spend regardless of your income? Would it be better for kids to go without some things today rather than inherit a larger debt in their futures? Can't touch anything involving the kids? Then we adults need to cut back. We fail no one when we live within our means; we defraud kids and us by doing otherwise. We let kids down by borrowing in their name and against their futures because we don't have the spine to make tough decisions; sometimes that means saying, "we just can't afford this."
Nutrition Manager
Teachers are always complaining that they have to take over parenting which affects their teaching. I agree, and nutrition managers are a luxury. It's a very simple task to plan frutis and vegatables, and prepare foods that don't contain a lot of bad fats. To pay a public servant for this is waste. At the end the taxpayers have to pick up retirement benefits and healthcare for their entire family. I doubt that the kids are going to eat nutricious meals in school if they are not educated in the home. Take a look at the school menus & watch what the kids actually eat and throw away. In the end, it's a wasted position.
amazing misterd
I have to say that the remarks made by misterd, amaze me. Do you have kids? You think it is no big deal to add 2 or 3 more kids to a classroom? Do you realize the classrooms are over crowded as it is and when that happens the children do not receive the one on one time that they deserve or need.It's all about the SOL's and how fast can they get it done. The schools have to be accrediated by the state and when you put more children in a classroom you are almost always going to have some that fall behind. As for teachers working only 6 hours, thats crazy. There are teachers at my son's elementary school that stay after several times a week to give further help to those children that are not "getting" it during regular hours and need the extra help. And they are there several hours before school starts. The teachers deserve to get a raise no matter what the percent. They are doing a difficult and thankless job. What I do want is for my children and everyone else's to receive a decent education, the opportunity to go out in the world and make a difference.
Spending
Here are the questions the community and the media should be asking!
How many assistant city managers do we have?
What is their salary?
What is the time frame that the last 4-5 were hired?
Is the city council getting a raise this year? They voted last time to give their selves a raise.
Who is ultimately responsible for the mismanagement of the budget?
it's an increase over last year
Most companies are shrinking their budgets. Many workers are earning less and their benefits have been cut. This should also apply to city employees. Light rail, town point park and other programs are also important for quality of life, attracting business and business to Norfolk.