Politics & Government

Live Blog: Town of Leesburg Council Feb. 23 Meeting

Editor Christian Brown will be live blogging throughout tonight's meeting, providing timely updates as agenda items are completed

Update, 10:23 p.m.:

Free parking will not be extended in Leesburg’s Town Hall garage.

It will go back to normal system starting tomorrow.

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Butler said residents appreciate being able to come to down without a “cumbersome” parking experience.

Hammler said she supported extending it because it allowed another option for parking downtown as the council discusses keeping parking on King Street with downtown merchants.

Find out what's happening in Leesburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Reid said the town is going to lose money by extending this program. He said the parking garage is not being used by shoppers as much as by business owners and employees.

Free parking failed, with Dunn, Martinez, Reid and Umstattd opposed.

Update, 10:02 p.m.:

The council moved on to discuss and ordinance to adopt form-based code, which Hammler said would create a more vibrant, walkable district, and would be a quicker way to redevelop the so-called “Crescent District.”

 The ordinance would go into effect on March 1, 2012. Reid called the code wishful thinking. “What do you think is going to happen between now and then,” Reid said. “People are going to try to beat the code.”

 

“There’s been a perception that this will create more regulations,” Wright said. “It’s meant to streamline those regulations.”

 

Dunn said he had greater hopes than most for form-based code, because he saw it as a tool that could be used throughout town. But now it is limited to a few blocks of by right development downtown. “The reigns kept getting drawn in,” he said.

Umstattd said she would not support change because it would pack the very dense development near the historic district, would consume unallocated town water and the impact on traffic is unknown.

 

 “If we’re putting another Village at Leesburg in, that will be a major competition for the merchants downtown,” she said.

 Butler said form-based code does not encourage or discourage development, but it allows a way to make a more urban setting in this district. He said higher density infill is much more environmental and economically beneficial for the town than sprawl is. It also would give developers a shorter and more predictable process.

The council passed its form-based code ordinance 4-3, with Dunn, Reid and Umstattd opposed.

Update, 9:38 p.m.:

The council discussed adding another out-of-town representative on the town’s Utility Rate Advisory Board.

Three members from out of town represents the out-of-town revenue, according to Butler.

But giving three seats out of nine on the commission would give them much greater representation than their actual population would afford them, according to Umstattd. “This is pure folly to give them more and more representation on what should be an exclusively town committee,” she said.

The motion passed 4-3, with Dunn, Reid and Umstattd opposed.

 

Update, 9:14 p.m.:

The council moved new business item 14 up on the agenda, which will direct staff to preserve parking on King Street, an issue which business owners have been asking the council to consider for months.

Umstattd said downtown business owners need to stay involved in future discussions about how this parking can be preserved.

“We need you to stay involved,” Umstattd said. “This is a design option. Other options may come along.”

This motioned passed 6-1, with Dunn absent for the vote.

Update, 8:54 p.m.: The council began commenting on the proposed budget.

Council Member Kenneth “Ken” Reid said he regretted to see people laid off, but said it was positive that the town would now be able to prioritize town programs. “It is very apparent that the party’s over,” he said. “The economy’s catching up with us,” he said.

Vice Mayor Kevin D. Wright was worried that there were still a lot of vacancies in town, despite economic growth. He said he was glad staff was  “I really appreciate that we have taken a multi-year look,” he said.

Council Member Fernando “Marty” Martinez said he didn’t know what party Reid was talking about, and that budgeting is always difficult and the town’s staff has done a very good job steering Leesburg through the recession. “I know that the last four or five years have been pretty painful,” he said.

Wells called the proposed budget very conservative, and said it reflected the realities and not the hopes of staff. “There are no rosy assumptions in this document,” he said.

Council Member Katie Sheldon Hammler thanked Wells for proposing a multi-year, sustainable budget. “The toughest decisions happen by the town manager in bringing forth the budget,” she said.

Council Member David S. Butler said he was glad the council has protected the tax rates and the fund balances, and that it was important to proceed cautiously when budgeting. “We don’t know that the light’s at the end of the tunnel, and we’re not at the end of the tunnel yet.”

Council Member Thomas S. Dunn, II, said councils often worry about negatively affecting quality of life, but it is necessary to make cuts in the face of the economic realities facing the town. “This is not my money I’m spending,” he said.

Council member bios are available here.

The council then heard petitioners.

Update, 8:25 p.m.:

David Rose of Davenport and Company LLC, a financial consultant working with the town, presented additional information on the long-term budgeting process the town will need to employ.

 Rose based his calculations on real estate taxes, and he said the town should not plan to increase taxes until fiscal 2015, in which the town would need to raises taxes one cent per $100 of assessed property value to correct revenue imbalances. In 2016, the council will need to raises taxes another cent, and in 2017 it will have to raise taxes three cents. “What we will need — eventually — is the equivalent of five pennies,” he said.

Original Post, 8 p.m.:

The meeting began with a budget presentation for the upcoming fiscal year 2012. This season began with a sizeable deficit, and the town has cut that gap in half.

However, Leesburg’s Town Manager John Wells said it will probably be necessary for the town to eliminate employees in order to keep its budget sustainable.

One area in which the town’s budget has increased is in terms of personnel services, which have increased from $28.3 million in fiscal 2011 to a projected $28.7 million for fiscal 2012. Wells said this is due to insurance increases, but does not believe this reflects the reality of claims town employees have made.

“Most of the increase you are seeing is in terms of health insurance,” Wells said.

The original deficit Wells identified was $3.2 million, but by tonight’s meeting staff had cut it down to $1.3 million.

However, in order to shore up the gap, he said it is likely the town will have to cut employees.


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