
DATE: Monday, March 3, 1997                 TAG: 9703030048

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 

                                            LENGTH:  131 lines

ASSEMBLY SESSION PROVIDES MINOR VICTORIES FOR REGION

Legislation sponsored by local cities suffered an off year as officials last week assessed what was achieved in the recently completed General Assembly session.

Chesapeake appeared to have garnered the most, including ownership of the abandoned South Norfolk Armory and a change in the city charter giving residents the power to ask for voter referendums.

As a whole, the region achieved some minor victories. The most important, according to city officials, was the decision to delay legislation allowing phone and cable television companies to use the public right-of-way without local permission or payment.

Local cities as well as state Transportation Department officials strongly objected to the measure, saying it would cost local taxpayers and rob cities of control of their land. The bill was sent to committee to be studied over the next year.

The legislation would allow utility companies to build on the public right-of-way without paying local cities for the land's use.

Norfolk, for instance, gets $3 million annually from Bell Atlantic, an amount equal to 3 percent of Bell Atlantic's gross receipts for the right-of-way fees.

Legislation passed during the Assembly session will be forwarded to Gov. George F. Allen for his signature, amendment or veto. The Assembly will meet April 2 to consider bills that the governor has amended or vetoed.

CHESAPEAKE

The biggest change came to the city charter, which was amended to allow residents permission to place questions on the ballots in an advisory referendum.

If the governor signs the bill, it will give Chesapeake residents the same referendum power that Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Suffolk residents have.

The law would allow Chesapeake voters, as of July 1, to file a petition with the city Circuit Court. Supporters would have four months to collect signatures from 25 percent of the number of people who voted in the previous presidential election. Once the signatures are verified, the question would be placed on the next election ballot.

The City Council will have the final say on whether to move forward with the referendum issues.

Other items of note for Chesapeake included:

A budget amendment that will return the South Norfolk Armory to the city. Chesapeake has wanted the facility to provide city services. Several city departments have expressed interest in the building, including public works and parks, recreation and buildings.

The defeat of legislation to increase the maximum salary for members of the Chesapeake Hospital authority to $3,000.

NORFOLK

Norfolk spent most of the session fending off or trying to reverse legislation its leaders feared would have an adverse impact on the city.

It also won the commission of a study on how much money the state pays Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News for use of the ports system.

The three cities get $340,000 from the state in lieu of taxes, and Norfolk receives $135,000 of that. City officials would like more, considering the amount of tax-free state property used by the ports.

Other gains for Norfolk included:

A charter change that allows the City Council to not meet for as many as 12 weeks during a year. The old charter had required the city to meet weekly and permitted only six weeks a year without sessions.

A bill to toughen state laws on prostitution was sent to study, an achievement for Norfolk, which had more prostitution arrests than any other city in the state in 1995.

Passage of the Hampton Roads Sports Authority bill, which helped put in place a mechanism to allow an arena to be constructed without a tax increase. Under the bill, the state would rebate all taxes and fees back into the facility, money that could be used to pay off the building's debt.

An award of $550,000 from the state for the Virginia Zoo's capital campaign to build a new African exhibit. The city asked for $3.5 million over two years.

The appropriation of $400,000 for a beach erosion project in Ocean View, which will be used to construct offshore rock breakwaters.

PORTSMOUTH

Got $100,000 earmarked for the continued expansion of the Children's Museum.

Obtained $50,000 to fund operations and $50,000 for a needs assessment for the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Received $3 million in funding under the Regional Competitiveness Act, which gives money to regions that cooperate on attracting business and funding road construction and other infrastructure.

SUFFOLK

Suffolk legislators concentrated on obtaining funding for a high-tech center.

The budget passed by the assembly included $500,000 in state funding to Old Dominion University for the Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center, a venture sponsored in part by the city.

The center, to be located across from the Department of Defense's Joint Training, Analysis, and Simulation Center at the Portsmouth campus of Tidewater Community College, is expected to be a major economic development tool for the city. The money will be used to get the project rolling.

The center hopes to develop and use sophisticated modeling and simulation technology to simulate troop movements. It is hoped the technology can also be used in the private sector.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Received $100,000 for operation of the Virginia Marine Science Museum, double the amount available this year.

Helped defeat legislation that would have allowed public schools to open before Labor Day, taking away thousands of summer employees from the resort strip at the height of the tourist season.

Won approval of a study on the need for, and possible state funding for, tourism convention facilities across the state. Virginia Beach is considering expanding its convention center and would like financial help from the state.

Received another six-month delay for hotel owners across the state to comply with sprinkler regulations. The hotels had seven years to install sprinkler systems by March 1, but many at the Oceanfront have not yet come into compliance.

Didn't get $500,000 it wanted to help defer the Health Department's rent costs. MEMO: WHAT'S NEXT?

Legislation passed during the Assembly session will be forwarded to

Gov. George F. Allen for his signature, amendment or veto.

The Assembly will meet April 2 to consider bills that the governor

has amended or vetoed. ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN/File photo

A budget amendment that passed the General Assembly would give the

city of Chesapeake ownership of the abandoned South Norfolk Armory.

Chesapeake would use it for city services; several departments are

interested. Here, Army Sgt. 1st Class Edward Dzendel, who watches

over the property, walks through. KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY