We had the forecast meeting on Wednesday and yep, it’s as bad as everyone thought…:) As it stands right now, we have a $3.2 million hole in the City budget (which is roughly $50 million) due to a contraction in just about every tax that the City or State collects. How we deal with this remains somewhat unclear. For my part, I’m not convinced that things are as bad as they might get. Bad? Yes. Catastrophic, No. So I’m not convinced that the time is nigh to draw heavily on the rainy day fund. However, there are only 3 places the City can get money to balance the budget: budget cuts, taxpayers or the rainy day fund.
As with most things, it is going to require a compromise utilizing all 3. The City Manager has made some immediate budget cuts that will save around $1 million and instituted a hiring freeze. The Council will meet several times over the next week or so to determine a direction.
It’s going to be a difficult fall.
September 20, 2008 at 8:40 pm
How about getting rid of the ESOL classes and go back to how we used to educate immigrants, put them in regular classes and expect them to learn along with the non immigrant students. That would save a boat load of money. It seems we expect less of immigrant students of today by placing them in those classes.
September 21, 2008 at 8:43 am
Are you suggesting that Manassas alone just ends ESOL? I understand your frustration with unfunded Federal mandates but seriously….
September 21, 2008 at 12:50 pm
How about instead of cancelling ESOL classes, the city avoids passing legislation that opens it up to lengthy lawsuits from the Justice Department?
Oh, too late.
September 21, 2008 at 3:01 pm
How about instead of wise remarks, you guys get involved and do something constructive?
September 21, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Joe,
Yes, I am. I have provided another way to educate students one that was used for decades and seemed to work just fine. Tell, the Feds to go pound sand. Or better yet, tell the Feds when they do their job of enforcing immigration laws, we will kindly look at starting up ESOL classes again. Of course, without the illegals, the classes will be much smaller and better funded since the City will collect taxes from the families using the classes unlike now when most illegals are getting a free education at the expense of us taxpayers.
September 22, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Thanks for caving in and giving money to the criminal supporters.
September 22, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Hey, as a City taxpayer, I want to thank you for squandering my hard-earned tax dollars and stealing cash away from my kids’ schools to pay extortionists. Can you tell me who exactly was harmed by the short-lived ordinance, and whether they will see any of the cash you will be paying out to ERC? It’s bad enough that for so long you allowed Mr. Fernandez to flip the bird at our community and at any concept of equal protection wtih that filthy wall.
I am profoundly disappointed in the City Council, and can only hope that the whole lot of you who caved in tonight can be replaced as soon as possible. Thank you, Marc Aveni, for being the sole voice of sanity.
September 22, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Big talk. The City will have even bigger problems if they refuse to obey federal law which says that ESOL services will be provided.
Do we now pick and choose which laws we obey rather than try to change the laws? Sounds like a criminal to me.
September 23, 2008 at 7:30 am
It seems illegals can pick and choose which laws to abide by, and the Federal Government is all to happy to not only support them, but to reward them for breaking the law.
Tell the Feds to get lost and we will teach our students the way we agree to. It seems at one time Virginia had leaders who were willing to stand up to the Federal Governement. Now, it seems we only have leaders who are willing to stand up to the Feds and ask them to take away even more of our rights.
September 23, 2008 at 8:17 am
Andy, only you and the rest of Council know the full story. Will you explain on your blog why the Council voted to settle the lawsuit? I hope it’s not just a money thing because that means that principles can be bought. Was the City’s case so weak that it was deemed “unwinnable”? Overcrowding in single-family homes didn’t become a huge problem until the significant influx of illegal aliens in this City starting around 5 years ago. It may be less of a problem now but when things get better again, it will be a problem again. Now the City is too skittish to deal with it.
September 23, 2008 at 9:59 am
Dave, et.al.:
I am preparing a post but I’m really overloaded at work so it may be later today or first thing tomorrow.
September 23, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Dave,
That is exactly how these criminal supporters want it. They throw around terms like racists and bigots and rely on those too weak or without a backbone to fight those charges. The City is done as far as I am concerned. They allowed the illegals to stick their middle finger up on the sign and on this law suit.
Can we sue the City for incompetence?
September 23, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I actually think the Council did the best they could with both issues. I didn’t see many people at the meeting last night, although I left before citizen time. Taking positive action is much more productive. Write a letter? Serve on a committee? Some have multiple vacancies, like the Manassas Housing Trust Fund and Housing Advisory Committee. Everyone’s help is needed to make this a better city, especially with budget cuts.
How’s that garden, Andy? I think you should post progressive pictures next year, or have a garden cam, so those of us who can’t grow anything can vicariously enjoy the greenery.
September 24, 2008 at 8:20 am
Andy,
We are still waiting for the reason why you and other members of the Council caved in.