THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411050097
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
LENGTH: Long : 277 lines
Here are some questions that citizens have asked about the $76.9 million road bond referendum that will be on Tuesday's ballot. The answers have been supplied by the Road Bond Referendum Committee and the staff of the city's Public Works Department:
If taxes will not be raised to pay for the roads and they will be paid for by increased tax base from growth, how will additional schools, water and sewer projects, road maintenance, library needs, police and fire needs and other infrastructure to support the growth areas be paid for? Will taxes be raised to cover these expenses?
The City Council, through the annual consideration of the operating and capital budget, determines the allocation of resources for operating expenses and capital improvements. Water and sewer service is funded totally by water and sewer rates and fees.
Is there a comprehensive plan for the expected growth? The city's present comprehensive plan is out of date, and the city planners and City Council members are approving growth not desired by the average citizen. If growth is allowed to continue at the present rate, what areas will be affected?
The city's comprehensive plan was adopted by the City Council on July 24, 1990. State law requires that this plan be evaluated every five years so it won't become outdated. The Planning Department is updating the plan through a series of growth area studies involving extensive public participation. It is anticipated that area plans for the entire city will be under way by the end of 1995. In addition to providing land use recommendations, these plans will set level of service standards for public facilities such as schools and roads.
In an effort to address growth-related concerns, the City Council initiated a policy in November 1992 requiring applicants for residential rezonings to cover the full capital costs impacts for schools for areas proposed to be rezoned to a high density residential district. The net effect of this policy has been that there have been three residential rezonings to high density since November 1992 and these rezoning applications have contained either a cash proffer or land dedication and cash proffer equivalent to approximately $6,000 per unit for school capital facilities. These three projects have not begun to be developed.
The residential development that has occurred since November 1992 has been on what has been termed the ``inventory'' of vacant, residentially zone property. It has been estimated that there are approximately 6,000 acres of vacant residentially zoned property citywide. The city lacks the authority to control the rate of development to require payments to fully offset the public facility cost attributed to development of this inventory.
In November 1993, the City Council adopted the city's 1994 legislative program. This program contains all of the policy positions and legislative proposals recommended for consideration by the Virginia General Assembly. These initiatives include provisions for the city to collect ``impact fees'' and adopt an ``adequate public facilities provision'' within the city's subdivision ordinance. Each of these tools would provide the city with greater authority to control growth, particularly the undeveloped inventory of residentially zoned property.
My neighborhood is well established, having been built in the 1960s and 1970s. We have no sidewalks. Before we votes ``yes'' for roads, we need to know when we will get sidewalks.
Over the last 25 years, the City Code, which established criteria for sidewalks in new subdivisions, has changed several times. Although not required in the past, sidewalks are now required along all new collector-type streets. Additionally, the Public Works Department has a program whereby the city participates with the residents in the installation of walkways in older developments.
I have a business on Indian River Road and am concerned about three things: How long will the street be torn up and interfere with my customer traffic flow? I'm not sure my building is far enough from the street to allow the road to come through. How will the city compensate me for additional expenses because of the widening of the road?
Construction time for each project varies, depending on the size and complexity of the project. The Indian River Road widening will take place in the median; therefore, there will be minimal impacts on adjacent businesses. All measures will be taken to minimize any inconvenience to adjacent property owners.
Since this road widening will take place in the median, the building setbacks will be unaffected by this project.
The city will provide compensation for any easements or right of way needed for this project, if any.
These bonds you are asking us to vote for are a lot of money. How will the city pay off these bonds without increasing my taxes a great deal?
Revenue generated from new businesses, industry and residences will be set aside to pay back the bonds. The bonds will be sold over a period of years as construction demands.
When we pass the bonds and find that we don't need some of the projects, will the money be used to retire the bonds or will it be as a general slush fund?
There is only one project - Camelot Boulevard - that the city is aware may be funded through other sources. If a project can be funded otherwise, the City Council will determine whether the money will be used to retire the bonds, used to fund another road project or not borrowed at all.
In most cases of road improvement you have accident data to justify expenditures, but in the case of 14 railroad crossings, this information is missing. Why?
In rating the 14 railroad crossings, the city used the Virginia Department of Transportation's grade crossing accident-potential analysis as a guide. This analysis includes data such as the number of trains using the crossing, the number of vehicles using the crossing, and the number of accidents at the crossing.
When you look at the work to be accomplished on Cedar Road, the thought comes to mind, how long will this take? Are the figures quoted realistic with ever-increasing costs?
It is anticipated that the portion of Cedar Road east of Dominion Boulevard can be under construction much sooner than the portion west of Dominion Boulevard since the right of way already exists and minimal environment permits are expected. Using a significant database of historical information, costs were estimated based on typical linear foot cost for similar types of roadway sections. These cost estimates were adjusted for inflation to allow time for the design, acquisition of right of way and permits.
What would the city do if the estimated cost of a project doubled? Are we giving the city permission to borrow additional monies to fund these projects, regardless of real costs?
Project estimates included an appropriate amount for anticipated inflation. This referendum does not give the city authority to borrow funds in excess of $76.9 million. The City Council does, however, have the option of slowing down or stopping the projects based on available funding.
According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture, Chesapeake has the best soil and farmland in the state. We'd like to keep it that way. Will the increased growth replace more of our farm land?
The Planning Department will hold a citizens work-session regarding the Southern Chesapeake Area Plan in November. This plan will address land use issues as they relate to rural development and protection of prime farming areas. The city's planning staff will rely heavily on input from the Farm Bureau, the agricultural extension service and local farmers in the development of recommendations for this area.
In some cities of Greater Hampton Roads, a traffic engineer is a person who changes the light bulbs in the traffic control devices. Will the planners and designers on these projects be real bona fide traffic engineers or close friends of the bureaucracy? I can show you examples of white elephants that we drivers have been stuck with under the ``good ol' boy'' system.
City staff and consultants hired for these projects are college graduates and typically board-certified, licensed professional engineers or planners.
Considering recent scandals in city government, will there be a citizens committee to oversee the results of these expenditures? To win my support for this referendum, I need some assurance of checks and balances.
The city undergoes an annual audit by an independent accounting firm consistent with national governmental accounting standards. Revenues and expenditures are monitored by the city's budget, finance and audit departments. These records are available for public review.
Friends of mine from Norfolk joke about how long it takes for this city to accomplish anything involving street repair. I've heard it said that if the Chesapeake street department were around during the Civil War, they would have stopped Sherman in his march to the sea. In all seriousness, the length of time to accomplish upgrading and modifications creates many problems for the citizenry. Who will be responsible for ensuring public safety during this extensive disruption and where can a citizen report flagrant safety violations by site workers and heavy equipment operators?
The city takes bids from contractors for the construction of these projects. The selected contractor is responsible for ensuring public safety during construction of a project. City roadway projects typically include traffic-control details, which provide for the safe flow of traffic through the construction area. Any safety violations may be reported to the Public Works Department at 547-6413. The city will monitor the projects to ensure the work is conducted safely and with minimal disruption of traffic. However, any construction within the roadway causes some inconvenience to vehicular traffic.
People will not inconvenience themselves to frequent a business facility in a dangerous traffic environment when they have a choice of shopping in a safe area. What is the average time of disruption to a business or home site for each project? As a businessman, the answer will affect my vote.
Before and after the projects are designed, public meetings will be held in the community to get citizen input on the projects. Each project is different, and there is no standard or average time of disruption to a business or home during construction. As with any construction project, there will be some inconvenience to vehicular traffic and adjacent property owners. However, every reasonable measure will be taken to minimize the disruption and to maintain access to adjacent properties.
I don't see any projects in my immediate area. My streets already need repair. Why should I vote for new roads when you can't even repair my road?
This referendum does not address all of the city's road improvement needs. Many road improvements are funded through other means, such as the city capital improvement budget and state allocations. However, many of the city's most severe problems are addressed with this program. The proposed projects are located throughout the city and will benefit all of the citizens traveling on these roads. Specific road conditions requiring repairs should be referred to the Public Works Department's Street Maintenance Division at 547-6343.
Why were these projects chosen? Please explain the reason for each one.
The projects on the referendum were chosen by using a formula which compares current volume of traffic with current capacity of the road or intersection. The accident history of the road sections was also considered.
All of the proposed improvements are needed to relieve traffic congestion and improve motorist safety.
Where are the traffic density figures for each proposed project? Daily driving tells me that there are many more significant traffic problems and congestion in other areas. Can we see the actual figures before the vote?
Many of the city's critical road needs are being funded through other sources such as the city's capital improvement budget and state allocations. Some are so costly, the city is pursuing funds from the federal government. Numerous projects were initially considered for the referendum. Projects were selected based on traffic congestion and accident history. Actual traffic counts were taken for each of the roads on the referendum. These counts were compared with the actual capacity of the roads. There are traffic projections for the major roads; however, these were not part of the analysis used to meet current needs. This information is available from the city's Public Works Department.
We are being forced to accept a six-lane Kempsville Road, despite the fact that the vast majority of the citizens in the area want only four lanes. Since you won't listen to the will of the people on this issue, why should we listen to you?
The widening of Kempsville Road to a six-lane roadway is not part of this referendum. The Kempsville Road project is a state-funded project to accommodate the growing traffic congestion problems and to ensure safety of the residents and motorists. Prior to approval of the number of lanes by the City Council, a public hearing will be held to solicit public input.
I don't want increased traffic or growth in my area. If you build bigger roads, they will come. If the roads in my area remain rural, the growth will go somewhere else, and that is OK with me and my neighbors. Why should we want to vote ``yes'' in this referendum?
The referendum projects are not designed to encourage increased traffic, but to accommodate the existing overload of traffic and to provide the safest possible design.
If you want to fix roads, how about fixing Route 168 with the money instead of the projects that have been proposed?
While Battlefield Boulevard South is among the city's high priorities, its cost - $113-$140 million - exceeds the city's ability to fund the project.
This project is currently being reviewed by state and federal environmental agencies. Until review is completed the road cannot be built. The review and corridor selection should be completed by 1994. Since this section of the 168 corridor functions as an interstate type of highway, carrying traffic from adjacent states to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, local taxpayers should not be required to pay the full cost of improvements. The city is actively pursuing funding at the federal level through the U.S. Congress and will continue to do so.
Why are you asking for so much money? What happened to the original proposal to spend $36 million and doing only a little bit?
Several levels of funding for the road bond referendum were discussed. The final list with $76.9 million in improvements will allow the city to improve more roads, thereby reducing congestion and improving safety.
Why should I vote to spend any more money on roads when the city has not yet fixed the school-overcrowding problem? If growth is to fund the roads and pay off the referendum, where are we going to get the schools that all these incoming students will need? Will my taxes be raised to pay for them?
The current student overcrowding, along with the growth from incoming students, is addressed in the School Board's updated five-year and 10-year capital budget requests. Their needs must be met to eliminate overcrowding at different schools.
The General Assembly approved a change in the City Charter in 1994 that permits school building funds borrowed through the Virginia Public School Authority not to count against the city's annual borrowing authority. These bonds will be repaid without a real estate tax increase.
Road repairs will continue to be made from the operating budget and the annual borrowing authority funds without a real estate tax increase.
We already have a water problem in Chesapeake. How will the additional growth affect this issue?
The city will continue to address growth-related problems through the comprehensive plan and the rezoning process.
How is the Southeastern Expressway affected by this referendum?
The Southeastern Expressway is not a part of this referendum; therefore, the referendum has no bearing on the status of the Expressway.
Have there been any allocations of funds for maintenance of the roads on the referendum?
No. Substandard roads are typically more costly to maintain than properly designed roads. The city receives annual maintenance payments from the state based on the lane mileage of streets maintained by the city.
Will the City Council pass a resolution for repayment of the bonds? Will they limit any add-ons?
Once the voters approve the referendum, the total amount specified - $76.9 million - cannot be increased. The bonds will be sold in increments as the work progresses on these projects. The City Council must pass a resolution each time a group of bonds is sold. ILLUSTRATION: Illustration
This is page 1 of a sample ballot for the Nov. 8 election.
Voters will use the reverse side of the ballot to vote on road
bonds.
Photo by Steve Earley
The four-mile stretch of Jownstown from Parker to Benefit roads
needs shoulders because the ditches hug the road too closely.
KEYWORDS: REFERENDUM CHESAPEAKE ELECTION by CNB