PORTSMOUTH TAXPAYER ALLIANCE
MINUTES
February 14, 2009
President Steve Carroll called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. and welcomed all members and guests. He introduced the officers of PTxA . Steve notified us that his e-mail is down. He can be reached by phone at 484-5304. He introduced our guest, Vice Mayor Bill Moody.
Treasurer Bruce LaLonde, reported that we had $860.30 in the treasury as of last month. We have received dues from 2 new members; the balance on hand as of 2/14/09 is $890.30. The treasurer’s report was approved as presented.
Secretary Ann Stewart gave a synopsis of the January meeting minutes. They were approved as presented.
Steve gave special thanks to our host, Troy Wyatt, owner of the Olde Towne Bakery, for his generosity in hosting our meetings and he asked us to please take advantage of a good breakfast before we leave.
President Carroll informed the group about a current proposal regarding SPSA. SPSA’s contract expires with the tidewater cities in 2018. President Carroll said that: “SPSA had proposed to raise municipal trash Tipping Rates from 104 dollars per ton to approximately 245 dollars per ton”.
Vice Mayor Bill Moody is the liasion between Portsmouth City Council and SPSA and can be reached by cell phone at 714-5471. Mr. Moody informed the members that SPSA has been in financial trouble for some time. He indicated that the tipping fee could result in as much as $3.5 million for Portsmouth taxpayers. Mr. Moody further stated that SPSA owes Virginia Resources Authority $100 million. He indicated that SPSA has said the tipping fee might have to be as much as $345 per ton. Mr. Moody said that we all need to pay tipping fees. Currently, Virginia Beach receives a check from SPSA. If SPSA goes into default, it would have a tremendously negative effect on our city budget, according to one source. Mr. Moody encouraged us to monitor Channel 48 for further information. Bruce LaLonde said: “the SPSA issue might get ugly. Bill Moody is a good man and is approachable. We need to let him know our opinions.”
Bill Watts brought up the topic of assessments. He called the City and was told that “not enough homes have been sold to re-assess” in his neighborhood. Bill will look into the Code of Virginia to see what is written concerning this subject. He said that assessments need to be brought into line.
The members were cautioned that if you speak on an agenda item before City Council, you can’t speak on a non-agenda item. One voice said that we are only as knowledgeable as the information we get. Therefore, we need to get the facts and speak before City Council to let our opinions be known. President Carroll distributed 8 copies of 24 pages of excerpts from the City Budget that show increases. For more on the City Budget, go to
www.portsmouthva.gov.
We have two major issues facing our city: 1) SPSA; 2) possible real estate tax rate increase. We need to let our council members feel the pressure to make the necessary cuts. (100 people spoke against the ethanol plant in Chesapeake. That made an impact!) Please go to the council meetings and let your voice by heard. The next council meeting is February 24th. If more than 1 person speaks to an issue, that reinforces the point. Council will listen to the “squeaky wheel”.
Bruce LaLonde said that “we need to be redundant when talking to City Council. We have a $340 million budget in Portsmouth. We should refinance our debt. There are $5.5 million dollars in taxes that are not being paid in Portsmouth. We might need to create furloughs to reduce the city payroll. We need to look at tax relief for seniors. Currently, if a senior is 65 years or older, they cannot make over $50,000 or have more net worth than $175,000 (not counting their home). If a person’s income is under $18,000 and they are a senior or disabled person, they could be eligible to have their house painted by Rotary members on 4/18/09.
President Carroll said that we have a huge deficit in Portsmouth’s budget. We need to contact our council members and let them know how we feel about this and give suggestions for correcting the problem.
Steve again thanked Troy Wyatt for allowing us to meet at the Olde Towne Bakery.
Bill Watts moved to adjourn the meeting. Chris Evans seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 9:59 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Stewart, Secretary
