THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412010483
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Myles E. Standish, who officially crosses the border today to become Suffolk's new city manager, got his marching orders on Wednesday from the City Council.
Standish, former county administrator in neighboring Isle of Wight County, quietly sat and listened as Suffolk's seven-member City Council give him a casual list of priorities.
``I'll be absolutely candid with you,'' Standish told the council. ``Don't expect a lot of brilliant ideas from me in these first few weeks. . . I have some ideas as to where I think the city could go, but I'll need some time.''
Mayor S. Chris Jones and the members of the council assured Standish that immediate change was not what they wanted.
``We're not expecting you to change the color of the sky,'' said Jones, ``but we've got a lot of expectations.''
Each council member brought a list.
Finances were the top priority. As the city experiences record-breaking development in the north, almost all council members said they wanted a cleaner, simpler budget process that allowed citizens as well as the council to understand where and how the city's money was spent.
Councilman Thomas G. Underwood requested a line-item budget. There were also some requests to prepare the capital improvements budget and operating budget at the same time. The city currently does them separately.
Limiting the city's debt was another oft-mentioned priority. Because the city will face a crushing demand for services when development begins to spread throughout the city, the council wants to find a way to get certain capital projects done every year without borrowing.
In Isle of Wight, Standish was instrumental in finding ways to research the cost of residential growth, preparing the city for an onslaught comparable to what Suffolk is anticipating. Standish, 44, began his public administration career in Suffolk. His ability to handle growth was one of the reasons the council decided to bring him back.
The council and Standish discussed Wednesday whether the city should try to impose impact fees on homebuilders to defray the cost developments bring to the city. The General Assembly is expected to debate the issue at the session starting Jan. 11.
For the second year in a row, Suffolk has broken its record on the number of building permits issued. City planning officials have said they expect next year to break even more records should development stay on track.
At the end of the informal, hourlong work session, where council members spoke freely, one thing was certain - the council wanted the new manager to make Suffolk more accountable to its citizens.
``I would like to see everything humanly possible done to allow as much information as possible to be made available to the public,'' said Councilman Richard Harris.
Jones said he wanted the city to stop hiding behind bureaucracy and become more open with information and access. ``Sometimes we put on our bureaucratic coats and we don't allow any common sense,'' he said. ``We don't have anything to hide as a city. I don't know why we've done some of the things we've done in the past.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Standish
by CNB