THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610140039
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 56 lines
Once again, Chesapeake's proposed legislative wish list includes a request for local impact fees to make growth pay for the infrastructure it requires.
The final public hearing on the list to be submitted to the General Assembly in 1997 will be held Tuesday.
Chesapeake's priorities this year include:
Impact fees - This request has been a part of Chesapeake's legislative agenda since 1994 but has yet to make any headway in the General Assembly.
Impact fees are usually collected by cities from builders to help pay for the expansion of city services to meet the demands of new development. The city wants to use the fees for school and road improvements. Impact fees would be capped at no more than $3,000 per unit.
State funding for public school construction - This issue has been on the city's legislative agenda for six years, but several legislative studies are being done on the issue. Student enrollment has increased more than 2 percent to 5 percent in Chesapeake every year since 1986; there has been about a 6,000 student increase in the last five years, and enrollment increased by 1,580 students in 1993 - the equivalent of adding a middle or high school.
The city's five-year capital improvement budget included about $174 million for schools. However, $48 million that the school district requested could not be funded due to fiscal constraints.
Criminal prosecution of zoning violations - New to this year's legislative agenda. The city wants the General Assembly to amend the state code to allow cities to adopt ordinances making each day of a zoning violation a separate offense.
Criminal history background checks - Another new addition to the city's legislative package. As of July 1, 1995, the state police began requiring that each criminal background check cost $15, after years of being free. New hires have had to pay the cost. City officials believe that the fees should be waived or reduced to encourage volunteers and lessen the fiscal burden on cities.
Library funding - City officials are asking that the state fully implement its funding formula. Under the current state budget, Chesapeake is scheduled to receive $227,737 but would be eligible for $306,780 if the formula were fully funded.
Regulation of hog farms - Based mainly on concerns over a hog farm in the Bowers Hill area of the city, Chesapeake officials want to have the state law amended so that it does not apply to any city with a 1990 Census population between 150,000 and 155,000, whenever a nuisance results from a feedlot or open lot hog farm of less than 25 acres that is contiguous to residential neighborhoods. MEMO: Chesapeake's final public hearing on the proposed legislative
agenda will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Chesapeake City
Council's chambers. Those who would like to speak are asked to sign up
with the clerk before the meeting begins. For more information or the
complete legislative agenda, call the city manager's office, 382-6166.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL by CNB