Archive for the ‘budget’ Category

Can you imagine two Virginia Beach City Council members discussing the budget for the next fiscal year? Let’s imagine two council members, we’ll call ‘em Jon and Len, talking about what to do about taxes and spending for the next year. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Virginia Beach City Council should put the financial health of the citizens of Virginia Beach, finally, at the top of our priority list. Our financial health means having income sufficient to pay our bills (food, gas, heat and so on) without the extra burden of excessive taxes and fees.

During the coming discussions on the budget for the next fiscal year, council should consider the cost of new projects in terms of the increase in our cost of continuing to live in Virginia Beach.

Citizens do not want another real estate tax rate increase. Last year, our council increased our tax rate from $.87 to $.95 and added fees to our water bill. The additional fees, trash pickup fee and the storm water fee, equate to about an additional $.05 of the real estate tax rate. Our council, rather than raise our tax rate to $1.00, successfully hid that extra $.05 among the fees on our water bill.

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A review of our Virginia Beach City Council’s “accomplishments” of the last ten-twelve years clearly demonstrates the need for new city council members – new city council members who will put citizens first.

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Let’s review Will Sessoms REAL record.

As history shows, Will Sessoms voted to ignore citizens expressed wishes and developed projects rejected by citizens. And he has consistently voted to increase our real estate taxes.

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Perhaps many citizens of Virginia Beach are not aware that you, Rosemary Wilson and Vice Mayor Louis Jones, are both council liaisons to the Economic Development Authority. As liaison you attend all Authority meetings and, most importantly, attend all of the closed sessions of the Authority. Also, you have the responsibility to brief all members of council on the plans of the Authority. Read the rest of this entry »

Who are the “uninformed?” Uninformed about what? They are the citizens of Virginia Beach, who for many reasons, do not have the time or interest to pay attention to city Council decisions and future plans. Read the rest of this entry »

The citizens of Virginia Beach have become the New Bankers for many of the planned development and redevelopment projects. Because developers are having difficulty qualifying for loans for various projects, our Virginia Beach city Council has continued to use several financial techniques that rely on the taxpayers for that   additional financing. Read the rest of this entry »

Let the determined effort to vote new Virginia Beach City Council members into office begin. Question for the citizens of Virginia Beach: Do you want four more years of this Virginia Beach city Council? Read the rest of this entry »

Our Virginia Beach City Council has presented the citizens of Virginia Beach with a perfect example of political manipulation. In a well orchestrated two-step process, Council pressured the city school board to join in the request for the real estate tax rate increase that council wanted. Then several council members conspired to bury the DeSteph/Moss budget proposal under a substitute motion.

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Citizens of Virginia Beach, would you like a nice big bowl of jelly beans? That is basically how our Virginia Beach City Council will fashion the referendum question about light rail. Don’t concern your pretty little self about the cost of the jelly beans, just help yourself and don’t worry about the cost of the jelly beans.

Instead, the referendum on light rail should include, if not specifics, a reasonable estimate of costs involved. Read the rest of this entry »