THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508050075
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: BY GENE WATERS
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
July 11, 1995, is a date in our history that will not be forgotten by Chesapeake citizens.
We were all perplexed while five of our leaders ignored the very basics of democracy: the right of the people to decide, the right of the people to vote on managed growth.
Now, our primary concern goes much further than the issue of managed growth. It hinges on the fact that five of our leaders - John E. Allen, John W. Butt, Peter P. Duda Jr., W. Joe Newman and William E. Ward - do not believe in the right to referendum.
During the 1993 Growth Commission, a fiscal impact report was prepared that estimated a capital improvement cost to the city of $2,800 for every new residential dwelling in Chesapeake. This figure does not show actual cost because it does not include state and federal subsidies for roads, schools and other services. For example, the federal government is paying 80 percent of the more than $30 million cost of widening Kempsville Road, the state is paying 18 percent and the city only 2 percent.
If we continue at the same pace of building in Chesapeake, we will build 23,000 units in the next 10 years. If you multiply $2,800 times 23,000 units, the cost of those new dwellings will cost the taxpayers $64.4 million.
We have no vote on whether those 23,000 units will be built, no vote on when those 23,000 units should be built and no vote on whether we want to spend more than $64 million on providing services for those new houses.
The only way we can have a referendum about managed growth on the ballot is if we have permission from the City Council. Our City Charter does not even permit citizens the right to put the question of managed growth on the ballot by petition.
Now we know what we can't do. Let's concentrate on what we can do:
We can cut this article out of the paper to remind us to speak out with our vote in the November state delegate and Senate elections and in the May 1996 City Council election.
We have the right to recall by petition City Council ordinances (Future residential rezonings, for example).
We can organize and get petitions signed on managed growth during the November elections, then forward the results to our state delegates and senators.
We can get involved in our local civic leagues and continue to voice our concerns. MEMO: Mr. Waters is president of the Chesapeake Council of Civic
Organizations.
by CNB