Some criticized the salaries of the city’s top management at a forum Thursday night.
By Sabine Hirschauer
April 11, 2008
Source: dailypress.com
NEWPORT NEWS – — Taxes, the budget and Deep Creek pier.
City Council candidates Thursday night answered a flood of questions on how to best save money and cut spending during a forum organized by the local tax grass-roots group RETRO. The candidates were quick on their feet with ideas.
Victor Albea, who is running in the south district, said he would not want to cut spending in education and crime prevention.
City Manager Randy Hildebrandt last month released an $814.8 million city spending plan for the next fiscal year, which includes a $318.6 million school budget. And most recently Hildebrandt suggested cutting the school budget by $2.2 million, which could reduce the proposed raises for school employees from 4 percent to 3 percent. Three percent is the size raise Hildebrandt suggested for city employees.
“Eduction is key,” said Albea, who also wants the city to focus on private dollars to bankroll development.
The three School Board candidates attending the forum — Betty Dixon, incumbent School Board Chairman Richard “Rick” Donaldson and incumbent William “Bill” Collins — also spoke out against the school cuts.
“I am disappointed that the city manager cut our budget to essentially a flat budget,” Donaldson said.
Rob Jones, who is vying for the open City Council seat in the central district, said he wants to streamline government and make it more efficient.
“We need to separate our wants from our needs,” he said.
Millard White, also running in the central district, emphasized a prioritization of city spending, making better decisions on what projects really need to get funded and what services residents want to give up.
“We need to cut the fat out of the budget,” he said.
Some candidates mentioned a city contract for $300,000 annually to promote the Marriott Hotel at City Center for the next 20 years.
“We have a spending problem,” said Pat Woodbury, who is also running in the central district, “not a revenue problem. We need to let the people keep more of their hard-earned money.”
Most candidates also criticized the salaries of some of the city’s top management.
“Our city attorney just received an $8,000 raise,” said Sheryl Holmes Abbott, who is running in the south district. “I don’t think his responsibilities increased. This has to end.”
“I am for cutting the budget,” Albea said. “But not at the sacrifice of citizen services.”
To save the schools some money, School Board candidate Dixon suggested an end to mandatory busing and “to return to neighborhood schools.”
Jones, who recommended a special task force to look at real estate assessments, said he supported the controversial King William Reservoir and saw it “as a good source of revenue, which will help us lower taxes.”
At the end of the forum, the candidates were asked if they would support rebuilding the Deep Creek pier, which the city demolished last year. Most supported the idea.
“If we can afford a $50 million reservoir, we surely can afford rebuilding the pier, which has been there for years,” said Dennis W. Rowsey, who is a candidate in the central district.
White said he was in favor of the pier, but the city probably should hold off on rebuilding it right now because of the current fiscal problems at City Hall.
Marie Boyd and Marvin Evans, both central district candidates, did not attend the forum. Boyd sent her neighbor, Michael Shapiro, to represent her. Tina Vick who is running for the south district and incumbent Councilwoman Madeline McMillan, who is running unopposed in the north district, also did not attend.
Deep Creek Pier 