THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040216
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 60 lines
City officials tonight will make their final visit to a neighborhood to allow Chesapeake residents to praise, pout or grumble about the proposed $564 million capital budget.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the South Norfolk Community Center.
A panel of council members and city officials will attend the meeting. Those wishing to speak must sign up at the meeting.
During the first two hearings - in Deep Creek and Western Branch - residents said they wanted more recreation, more forethought in building new facilities to meet the city's growing needs, as well as more fiscal efficiency.
The capital budget is a prioritized list of all improvements to roads, schools and city offices that are planned over the next five years. It is updated annually. Public hearings on the capital budget are an opportunity for citizens to influence the city's spending priorities.
Just under 66 percent of the proposed five-year capital budget is earmarked for transportation projects in Chesapeake. Education is slated to get about 20 percent of the funding while community facilities are now scheduled to receive about 8 percent of the $564 million budget.
The final public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Feb. 11 in council chambers. The council is then scheduled to meet with School Board members to discuss the budget on Feb. 13 during a 5:15 p.m. work session. The council can schedule additional hearings, if it desires.
The capital budget, which earlier projections said would fall $14 million short of needs, must be approved by the end of the month. The city has tentatively scheduled that the budget be adopted on Feb. 25.
The capital budget was formally introduced to the council last November with the warning that it would be short $5 million during its first year and $9 million the next unless the council approved tax and fee increases.
The council has yet to discuss or vote on any of the suggested tax and fee increases and is awaiting additional financial reports from City Manager John Pazour.
Deputy City Manager Clarence Cuffee said Monday that Pazour is preparing to give council a full presentation on the capital budget before the public hearing on Feb. 11.
Chesapeake is the only city currently discussing its capital budget. Other cities in the region will begin their budget discussions later this year. MEMO: Tonight's meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the South Norfolk Community
Center, 1217 Godwin Ave. For more information, call the City Clerk's
office at 382-6151. ILLUSTRATION: TIMELINE:
Tonight, South Norfolk Community Center - public hearing on
capital budget
Feb. 11, council chambers - final public hearing on budget
Feb. 13, City Hall 4th floor - work session between City Council
and School Board on budget
Feb. 25, council chambers - capital budget scheduled to be
adopted
KEYWORDS: BUDGET CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL