WE CAN'T AFFORD SOUND BITES.

While incumbents defend their records challengers can promise the world and don’t have to come up with deliverables (or explain the lack thereof) until after they are elected. This years City budget will require some tough decisions by Council. Next year the prognosis is that the decisions will be tougher. Understanding these realities it is imperative that city voters get beyond the catch phrases and sound bites of the campaign and get a clear understanding of how potential new City Council members will handle these decisions.

On his campaign web site at-large Council candidate Mr. B. J Huff touts his families’ ties to teaching and promises to, “fight for the necessary resources to recruit and retain the best teachers, and will work to bring new technologies into our classroom…” Family connections aside (The Vice-Mayor is a teacher and my wife is also a teacher) the last three Councils have made good progress on the education front.

Unlike our neighboring jurisdictions the City Council and School Board have a good working relationship developed over the past six years as we planned and built two state of the art schools. The Capital budget includes $370,000 for technology improvements in our schools. As part of last year’s discussions, we are working together to get teacher’s salaries as close as possible to our neighbors. This as our Composite index continues to rise requiring more local revenue to cover the school budget.

This year, even as we cut and hold the line on city expenses we did provide the schools with an additional $1 million, which is still under the additional $2.8 million requested. Discussions are on going regarding the impact of this shortfall on salaries and programs and are looking for possible solutions. At this point we must look at another of Mr. Huff’s campaign promises.

“Homeowner’s taxes are out of control with runaway tax assessments…. B.J. Huff will focus spending on core functions of city government, like education and public safety, so we can better keep taxes low for Fredericksburg residents.”

Contrary to the rhetoric the City’s current tax rate is one of the lowest of any city in Virginia. As for tax increases, even some of his advisors who know, should be telling him that taxes in the city have risen at a rate well below what our neighbors have faced. And the reason for the increase was to pay for projects that had, or have, wide support in the community.

The issue today is not, as implied, that we are spending new revenue as fast as it is coming in. The issue today is revenue is down. The current budget is smaller than last years. We are to start the assessment process next year and property values will be down and the sales tax revenue is also expected to be down.

My questions to Mr. Huff are-- What specific proposals do you have to achieve your educational goals? What are the costs of those proposals? Under the current budget realities would you fund them? Would you consider tax increases? If not, what plans do you have to find the revenue?