THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501130208
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
City Council was wise to delay action on the capital improvements budget until it deals next month with the plan for economic and community development.
The best justification for the delay was the city manager's request for a tax increase to fund economic development, a tax the council overwhelmingly denied Tuesday.
It might be that the city does need to increase taxes, but they should be increased with specific projects in mind if citizens are going to accept them. Taxpayers are not receptive to anything so vague as ``economic development,'' a term that could give city officials carte blanche to spend the money on almost anything.
Rather, tax increases should be earmarked for specific projects, projects like building a new jail or moving City Hall to free up valuable waterfront property that could be used for lucrative economic development.
The delay was prompted by Councilman Ward Robinett, who said he wished to consider the CIP budget in light of the proposed plan.
``I don't want to be part of having another consultant's report to put on a shelf,'' Robinett said. ``We need to approve money to get it started.''
He seemed to feel he could find it without raising taxes.
In fact, during the public hearing, council's previous inclinations toward CIP expenditures seemed to fall apart as various scenarios were unraveled by speakers.
As an example, a group of Wilson High neighbors came to the hearing to dispute school claims that everybody approved of building a stadium at the school.
Mayor Gloria Webb was upset to learn of the opposition. ``The thing that should concern all of us is that the athletic director of Wilson stood here and said the residents had been polled,'' she said.
Another problem surfaced when a Wilson student said that instead of spending $900,000 on a football field, the city should spend the money to repair and maintain the heating and air-conditioning and other problems within the school.
``Is a stadium going to improve education?'' Nathan Downing asked.
In fact, many people have been concerned that very little money has been allocated for repair and upkeep for the schools since the city began assembling $35 million to build a new Norcom High. The student's comments on major problems at Wilson certainly justified those concerns.
The city plans to borrow $8 million for CIP funding. Half of that would be for the schools with $3.9 million earmarked for Norcom, leaving only $100,000 for all other building needs.
In order to find the $900,000 for a football field at Wilson and $131,000 for John Tyler soccer fields, the city manager proposed deferring installation of drainage to close ditches on Cavalier Boulevard to save $300,000; postponing the purchase of a $325,000 fire pumper truck; and elimination of plans to spend $125,000 to permit live broadcast of City Council and other meetings in the chambers.
Firefighter Lloyd Beazly told council that fire trucks in Churchland and Hodges Manor are unreliable. Former Vice Mayor Lee King, who was in the audience, spoke against a tax increase after that.
``When you cannot afford money for acceptable fire prevention and then, all of a sudden, the money is going to be there for a football field, I feel a little confused,'' King said.
Councilman Jim Martin, who seconded the motion to delay the CIP vote, said, ``I am just not satisfied with the options we have been given.''
Apparently, Webb has been looking closely at the budget, trying to spot fat places that could be trimmed, freeing up money for economic development or other uses.
For instance, she said that relocation of the Cradock youth sports complex will not occur now or in the immediate future because the Navy has notified the city that it can continue to use St. Julien's Creek.
``That would free up $500,000 from this year's CIP that could be used elsewhere,'' Webb said.
Vice Mayor Johnny Clemons put it all in perspective when he said that although the city spends time and money doing strategic planning, it then responds first to those who come and wail the loudest.
``The crying baby gets the bottle,'' Clemons said.
I'm with Clemons. I'm really tired of seeing council respond to the squeaking wheel for no reason except that it squeaks the loudest.
Let's adopt a plan and stick with it because it's good for the city. Let's do projects not because one neighborhood wants them but because they are good for the entire city.
Like Clemons said, backing down because somebody screams is not the way to run a city. by CNB