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?

Can anybody on council or city staff explain to me why the rates for retirees insurance is much higher than an employee who is still working. According to the work sheets sent out, there are around 13,500 working employees who this years rates will go up from 0%-6% while for the second year in a row the retirees rates who number around 1500, range from 23%-48%. I am retired from the city after working 33 years, when I was hired in 1976, part of the benefit package was "you give us 25 years service and we will look after your health insurance after retirement".Maybe if council would stop turning down projects that can make money, ex, 20th street entertainment complex, the Ferris wheel at 17th street, and last year you turned down Margaritaville at Rudee Inlet. All money making venues, but instead you raise taxes/fees and make the retirees insurance rates go up, have some mercy on those who have given their time and effort to make this a great city and if nothing else spread some of the rate hikes to those still working. Sometime in the future these same working employees will be retiring or just work to they are 65 and not have to mess with big increases in their insurance. Remember we only make about half as much as a working employees makes and paying higher rates.

I'd like to ask Council Members and City Leadership to "Envision 2016 to 2030", that is, think how today's decisions will impact the City budget in the next 14 years. In that short time, children in elementary school will be young adults; today's young adults will be closing in on early middle age; and "middle agers" will have started dreaming about retirement. The critical importance of a well-thought out, rational plan to fund transportation projects ALL around the city is central to the maintenance of its still outstanding quality of life. Please provide concrete answers based on current information and your projections for a not-too-distant future. More importantly, please refrain from responding with talking points either pro or against light rail. All of us -leaders and citizens- should be making decisions at the ballot box on issues involving such very large expenditures of public funds with clear, straightforward information about present and future costs, not jingles, advertising campaigns, or manipulation of fears, emotions, and good intentions.

I. For light rail: “Envision 2016 to 2030”

1. What are the anticipated –or planned- funding mechanisms for full construction of the line, staffing costs, (administrative and operations), and equipment additions and replacement? Please estimate federal, state, and local contributions. Estimate any impact on all local tax rates.

2. What are the plans to prevent, fund, and manage any potential construction project overruns?

3. Once the rail is built, what’s the anticipated or estimated annual cost of ongoing maintenance and operations? Please estimate federal, state, and local contributions. Estimate any impact on all local tax rates.

4. What type of development is being anticipated or planned along the light rail corridor?

5. What commercial companies have demonstrated interest in investing and/or building along the corridor?

6. What are the plans for funding the infrastructure required for commercial and residential development of the light rail corridor?

7. What are the estimates of impact on traffic in the sector between Holland Rd./South Independence Blvd and Virginia Beach Blvd, and Newtown Rd to Thalia Road?

8. If an estimate exists at this time, what are the plans to mitigate possible congestion or the exacerbation of current congestion levels?

9. If there is no estimate and no plans, what’s the timeline for consideration, study, and resolution of any potential negative impact?

10. What is the expected or estimated annual revenue to be generated by the light-rail line as a result of commercial and residential development along the corridor?

11. What is the estimated percentage increase in local or out of state tourism into Town Center that now stays in Norfolk?

12. What’s the anticipated reverse flow into Norfolk of people now shopping at and attending Town Center businesses and events?

13. What are the plans to continue funding operations of the line if enough revenues to break-even with operating and maintenance costs do not materialize?

14. What are the contingency plans for the future of the light-rail line if such costs far exceed its revenues? What is the estimated breaking point?

15. What other revenue-producing projects are being considered for the proposed corridor if construction of light-rail does not occur?

16. Are there any other projects under consideration that could potentially cost less to build, operate and maintain while yielding similar or better revenue margins?
17. What factors will be used to evaluate the performance of the LRT line to determine the affordability and advantages of further expansion, and how to fund any extensions in the long-term?

18. Brought to the present time, what are the answers to these questions applied to the Norfolk light rail line based on its current performance and costs numbers, as of 3/31/16? Replace the Va. Beach road intersections referenced above with comparable Norfolk road intersections.

II. Vehicular Traffic and Development in Other areas
1. What are the budget plans to address the congestion in traffic chokepoints around the City, such as:
a. The Indian River Road corridor between the Interstate ramps and Pleasant Valley Road
b. Holland Road/Independence Blvd between South Plaza Trail and Va. Beach Blvd
c. Rosemont Road between Va. Beach Blvd. and Holland Road?
d. The Hilltop area

2. Is funding being considered for a study of the feasibility of Bus Rapid Transit systems or privately run and operated fixed route lines from the suburbs (the large, primarily residential areas of the city) to centralized commercial, entertainment, and service areas such Town Center, Oceanfront, the Amphitheater, shopping centers, college campuses, and medical centers areas?

3. What is currently the plan for revenue-producing development in the Southern part of the city (Nimmo Parkway/London Bridge/Dam Neck Road corridor, Princess Anne Road towards Munden Point, and the Municipal Center area towards the Chesapeake line).

4. What is the plan for funding transportation, road-widening, or new roads projects in the areas above to accommodate such development?

I realize that these are many and not easy questions to answer, but planning for the future of our community is serious business that can only be properly carried out by thoughtful, reasonable leadership. Thank you in advance for considering and responding to these questions.

Enact a realistic Boat Tax on privately owned pleasure boats and watercraft used for recreational purposes. Current rate less than a penny per $100 valuation. The proposed budget identifies more than $1.5 million from General Fund to dredge channels to provide navigable waterways. Thus, all taxpayers of Virginia Beach are paying for dredging expenses to keep waterways navigable for the recreational boat community. That is patently unfair!

Incorporate under one single water & Sewer bill statement the HRSD (water treatment) cost. This will prevent confusion and the appearance of service fraud by VA Beach residents toward this additional service.

Forget lite rail, not wanted, needed or cost/use justified. Leave city hall where it is. House city employees in vacant school buildings while renovations are completed. Stop the rental of office space for city departments in Town Center ( build it and they will be leased by CoVB). Neighborhoods surrounding Town Center need a stronger police presence enforcing traffic violations and crime.
Aragona village has been encroached upon in a very negative way with traffic and speeding. Roads such as Aragona Blvd, Sullivan Blvd, Kellam Rd and Lavender ln are neighborhood roads that have come overburdened with traffic.
Close Lavender ln @ Baker rd. This cut thru is detrimental to safety of CHILDREN, residents as well as property values.

City of VB must make changes or the fright, blight and flight will continue.

Please give seniors a break on trash collection and water bills etc. I should not pay as much as a family of 4 etc. I vote no for light rail. Lived here all my life. Love Virginia
Beach.

Cut back on solid waste collection. At my home the solid waste container is half full in a MONTH! Every 2 weeks is just right on recyclables. Why raise the monthly fee on solid waste services when it's not needed?

I have lived here for 2 years and enjoy VB as my new home. There are 2 things that strike me as needing to be changed however. 1) The plastic recycling is WAY behind the times. I have lived in a few states and cities and usually plastic items with a 1-7 on bottom can be recycled. Here, with only being able to recycle items with a neck or a spout, there is lots of plastic going into the trash (much of which eventually ends up in the ocean!) PLEASE CHANGE THIS!
2) The VB Public Libraries, especially the central branch, need updating, more money for books and staff, and more locations. For a city of this size, our libraries are woefully lacking in resources.
Thank you.

aren't words great--no increase in taxes,
what it really means is increases in other places with me
PAYING MORE TO THE CITY THAN I DID LAST YEAR
but in your mind, you didn't raise my taxes
--BUT in MY mind, you are raising my taxes
-I WILL BE PAYING MORE--won't I ?
I know--yes but--explanations, excuses
the continuing dance with words

Please, no increase in the trash collection fee. We are seniors on a very fixed income. We put out less than a half a can every week yet we pay the same as the family of six down the street that puts out two cans each week. Still we have no option to opt out of this. Added to our property taxes and other taxes its getting to be too much! When will the city get out of our pockets.