The public hearing for the proposed budget was last night. We had a pretty full room and a diversity of opinion. There were only a handful that opposed higher spending on Manassas Next where the majority seemed to favor it. The Fire & Rescue levy also seemed well supported. Interestingly, the proposed ICE program for the City took a beating. There were only 2 people there last night that opposed higher spending period but I have received some emails to this effect as well.
Lower is always better but overall it seems like this budget is coming in about where it needs to be.
April 22, 2008 at 1:17 pm
It was a good meeting I think Andy. Just remember, there are apologists who will disapprove of ANYTHING the City tries to do relative to illegals (regardless of their nationality).
MY perspective is ALL the things your budget proposes doing are GOOD for the long term health and viability of our City. As was said repeatedly last night, now is NOT the time to sit back and do nothing. Now is the time to invest in the future, and make our City READY to capitalize on the inevitable upturn, and Council clearly is doing that.
April 23, 2008 at 1:02 am
Despite the misleading information given out by the City Manager that “Budget and Capital Improvement documents are available for viewing on the City’s Web site at http://www.manassacity.org.” in the most recent edition of “Town Hall,” I was able to obtain the handouts of the previous week’s City Council meeting.
Those documents show that the Real Estate Tax and Levy Rate will go up 23%. Can any one in these economic times explain why such an increase is justified unless they have no fear of voter retribution?
Whose salary or income is going up that much in one year?
A more detail review of the documents from the City Manager demonstrates that the City run-electric utility fund is going up over 16% followed by a 6 plus % increase in the General/Fire Rescue fund; 5.2% in the Airport Fund; and 5.4% increase in Water Utility Fund. Perhaps it is time to privatize these utility functions since such increases are beyond the cost of living increases for the same period.
According to city documents, Council is happily sticking it to private enterprise by jacking tax rates in the tangible personal property tax rate, machinery and tools tax rate, pp tax rate, BPOL contractors rate, BPOL retail merchants tax rate. Anyone still want to be in business in Manassas?
So where to cut? Here are some suggestions:
1. Fuel costs should go back to $321,200. I have observed too many city employees traveling individually to job inspections without carpooling. They also let their vehicles run especially with air conditioning going, even though they are not in the vehicle at all.
2. No increase in the City Attorney Hourly Rate. If the current attorney is not happy with getting what s/he is paid, there are so many other attorneys out there. A 13% increase in pay is not justified.
3. Cut support to school system. Having been a teacher, I know how important education is. But I have also seen the incredible waste that goes on from the central office to the classroom. Eliminating the $2.8+ million increase would go a long ways to eliminating such waste and balancing this budget without a major tax increase.
So, there are some things that can be done. This Council self identifies as Republican, but they have not practiced Republican principles in this budget. Republicans often state that taxes should be CUT to stimulate a poor economy. Guess that message didn’t get to this group in Manassas.
One councilor, in his successful bid to get elected stated: “”Property Taxes are out of control! When assessments go up 30%, the budget shouldn’t go up the same amount. As your councilman, I will work to begin the budget process in a way that might seem new: the republican way. We will start with a 0% increase in budget outlays and work from there. The actual budget amount might go up or down but 50% in 4 years is crazy”
Funny how election rhetoric does not meet reality. I would say a 23% increase is “craxy.”
April 23, 2008 at 8:08 am
Here’s a link to da budget:
http://manassascity.org/index.asp?NID=249
Took about 2 minutes to find it.
April 24, 2008 at 9:09 am
Come on Tom, you know full well that increasing the RATE 23% (or any percent) isn’t the same as raises taxes 23% (or whatever percent). Unless assessments are flat year over year. But they’re NOT. Assessments are WAY down again this year, so the impact to the average homeowner is an increase of ~$160 (~$80 twice a year or ~$13/month), and the largest share of that due to the fire/rescue levy.
I’ll agree there is waste within City govt though. I was watching the other day while the street department was doing rolling crack patches on my street (where they squirt liquid in the cracks to seal thus prolonging the pavement top coat). There was one person driving the vehicle, 1 person squirting the goo, two people walking beside the vehicle, and some sort of supervisor (I guess) following in a another vehicle (talking on the phone the whole time they rolled past).
April 24, 2008 at 7:08 pm
David B, before you condemn the City employees, maybe there is reason for the extra employees such as required safety precautions. The vehicle behind them is there so the compound can have a few seconds to set before actual traffic drives on the material. Before you go off on a tangent maybe you should ask why there are that many people on the job site. Many times it is required by OSHA for safety reasons. I am hard pressed to critisize City employees because I have found them to be very helpful in the past.
April 25, 2008 at 1:42 pm
@CoMResident:
Agreed. I’m sure there there are valid justifications for such a task requiring 5 people and 2 vehicles. I was merely highlighting an incidence that at first glance APPEARS to be wasteful. Sorry.
And I agree overall the quality of CoM employees is in general quite excellent.
But, I do think there is SOME amount of waste. How much overall, who knows, as I am sure there is some amount of waste in every (local, state, federal) government endeavor. Enough to eliminate CoM positions in these tight economic times to the extent required to make a REAL impact on the budget? I suspect not.
April 28, 2008 at 9:39 am
FYI – The first reading/vote on the proposed city budget is tonight
(4-28-2008 – 5:30PM – Manassas council chambers). The
agenda is posted on the city website. As always, the
public is invited to attend.
May 1, 2008 at 1:23 am
I am always amused by those who enjoy stating what the “average” increase is when sticking to tax payers with a tax increase what ever the increase.
Trouble is that not everyone enjoys the $13 a month increase that David B who chooses not to share his real name who insinuates is not a big deal.
If David B is so wealthy, why not send me a monthly check of $13 to make the difference.
I know he won’t because he knows that this is real money and he does not want it coming out of his pocket. Just because you can and want to pay more, does not mean I do.
And having already shown how the city budget can and should be cut, it is always interesting to hear why we cant, shouldn’t or won’t
The fact of the matter is that this is a tax and spend council. Are there items I think Manassas ought to be spending more on? Or course, but I live in the real world and have to deal with real money to decide how to live. I do not expect my local elected government leaders to be taking more money out of my pocket when every economic indicator says we are in tough economic times.
How much government do we need in Manassas? This council thinks its needs to be larger and more costly regardless of the economy.
I do not want to hear from David B or Andy H or Hal P or Marc A or Jonathan W or Steven S. or Doug W or Steven R that they are fiscal conservatives because their actions have proven that they are not.
Bigger government is not necessarily better. Manassas government is broken right now.
It takes three trips by the Utilty Department to send the correct truck to change a street light.
The planning department must send separate inspectors in separate vehicles to buildings where the vehicles must be kept running even when there is no one in them despite the increasing cost of gasoline.
The pollce department must be given at least 20 minutes advance notice during the daytime hours before responding to gang fights.
Resident trash can not be picked up at least once a month even though the Mayor assures residents that this is not tolerable.
Yikes! If this was a business, people would be fired. But given this City Council, the Gang of 6 and its sycophants say MORE money is needed.
Does anyone remember what being a Republican and/or a conservative meant?
May 5, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Sounds like you have your platform all mapped out. Why do you not run for office?