What suggestions do you have for changing the City Manager’s proposed budget for FY 2016-17? What revenues would you adjust? What services would you change? What capital projects would you add or remove?

City Manager Dave Hansen has proposed a $1.9 billion operating budget for city and schools in 2016-17. Among the budget’s highlights:

• No tax increases. The tax rates on real estate, personal property, restaurant meals, hotels, cigarettes and admissions will remain the same.
• No increase in rates for water, sewer or storm water.
• An increase of $1.64 per month for trash collection, disposal and recycling. This will cover replacement of old garbage trucks and higher pension costs. The new cost will be $23 a month.
• An increase of $12 in the cost of an annual adult recreation center membership for residents. The new cost will be $98 a year.
• The average home assessment will rise 2.79%. This reflects a slowly improving housing market since the recession. Roughly 77% of all homes will rise in value, 17% will drop and 6% will be unchanged. By law, assessments reflect (as closely as possible) the actual value of properties. This is the third year in a row of slowly rising assessments, following five years in a row of declines.
• The total budget will increase 2.1% -- less than the increase in population and inflation.
• 202 new positions. Most of those are in schools (127), parks and recreation (51 for the new Kempsville Recreation Center) and police (13).
• The first year of a commitment to hire more police officers. In the coming year, there will be 10 new officers for general police work and 3 to support new body cameras.
• A 4-year phase-in of 450 body cameras for police officers. This coming year, 110 will be deployed.
• 15 additional deputy sheriffs to run the jail.
• A new position in EMS to recruit and retain more volunteers for the city’s 10 volunteer rescue squads.
• The 6-year capital plan is $3.1 billion and covers 209 construction projects, including replacing the Lesner Bridge, replacing the Kempsville Recreation Center, a new fire and rescue station off Northampton Boulevard, extending light rail, infrastructure for the Oceanfront arena, replacing Princess Anne High School and Princess Anne Middle School, alleviating flooding around Lake Holly, expanding the citywide network of bikeways and trails, and many road and sewer projects.

To read the complete budget, visit www.VBgov.com/budget.

To use an interactive tool to suggest changes in the budget, visit Balancing Act at http://virginiabeachva.abalancingact.com/

To see your total city tax bill, and where the money goes, visit Taxpayer Receipt at http://virginiabeachva.abalancingact.com/taxreceipt