So, Markup is tonight. This is the final meeting before the Council’s budget is presented. After this, I should be able to get my lilfe back. It’s been crazy. I’ll update tonight or tomorrow with the long and short of what happened.
UPDATE: I’m pretty cooked but we came up with a budget that allows for the proposed (modest) staff raises, adds some medics for the Rescue Squad and adds 4 police officers. Those police officers will be ready in time for next summer when we’re ready to start doing foot patrols elsewhere in the City. It also brings the number of police up to the same number as before the economy went to hell. Residential tax bills will go up slightly, overall tax bills will go down. I’ll post an update tomorrow with some details about dollar amounts but I believe they are very modest. The proposed $1,000 bonuses died as did the org study. We also shaved down the money proposed for the School initiatives. We’re also paving more streets and repairing more sidewalks.
On a seperate note, I would like to thank all the folks who showed up tonight. It was good to see some citizens there!
Also, I don’t like Justin Bieber.
April 7, 2011 at 1:28 am
Well I heard our taxes are going up. How much? Any “fee’s” in there? What about water, sewer & electric rates?
April 7, 2011 at 6:10 am
I’ll post more on property tax rates in a seperate thread. Not sure what fees you’re referring to but the only thing in that class that was considered was parking fees in the parking garage and that died..
All utility rates are going up to pay for increasing state and federal mandates. Those mandates are primarily related to the EPA’s efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. We don’t have much in the way of a choice with those. Ray Beverage gave a good overview of the utility stuff on a thread over on BVBL late last week and it’s about halfway down the page: http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2011/04/03/its-easy-to-get-cynical/#comments
The electrical rates are going up as our costs for electricity are going up – we have to buy it from somewhere. However, our electrical rates are lower than all of the surrounding jurisdictions.
If those answers aren’t sufficient, I can get you in touch with our Utilities staff for an answer! Also, Marc Aveni is our man on the utilities commission and I’m sure he’d be happy to chat with you about it.
April 7, 2011 at 9:06 am
About Fees – – – Folks who have lived or live in PWC have a “low residential tax bill” as the McCoart crowd sing, but then add in gypsy moth fee, this fee, that fee and the other fee so the end bill is a compilation of a lot of little one-liners totaling a big amount. We in the City at least have a straight tax bill with residential & fire levy.
As for Utilities Increases – personally, I can accept that since we have clean water, and the electric stays on in 80% of the City in most worst cases. That other 20% (more or less) is where there are above ground lines. I also am smart enough to know there will always be some incremental increase for Utilities – at least we can drink our water in this City compared to others where you can’t!!!!
April 7, 2011 at 9:17 am
Indeed. The UOSA expenditures have gotten to be so high that even FFX county has started to complain. The sewer (UOSA) costs at this point are completely driven by the Chesapeake Bay (EPA and DEQ) stuff. We don’t have any say in the matter. I guess we could go fuss at Del. Miller or Sen. Colgan but I think this is mostly federal (EPA) stuff.
By law (pretty sure) our sewage has to go to UOSA so when they start selling debt, we have to pay for it. We did have to buy extra capacity a couple of years ago to fix a long-standing deficit in our share of the load but that’s finished at this point….
April 7, 2011 at 11:43 am
Its all about the fine print when it comes to fees. Picture the shark skin suited fellow barking about the low price of his product. It sounds good until you learn how many add ons are needed for that product.
April 7, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Andy I didn’t ask those questions to tick anyone off. To me they are legitimate questions and I got my answers. Thank you.
April 7, 2011 at 5:58 pm
No worries. Didn’t take it that way. I just want to get you the info you want! Let me know if you need any other info. I’m working on a longish post about the budget.