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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/14/2003 - RegularA 2004 REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS, ROANOKE VALLEY AND NEW RIVER VALLEY TO THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY EDUCATION: General Assembly should fully fund the Standards of Quality. The Commonwealth has an obligation to fund the Standards of Quality on the basis of realistic costs -- reflecting actual education practices to include capital, operating and maintenance costs. (To be presented by Roanoke County Chairman Joe McNamara) TAXING AND FUNDING: The General Assembly should eliminate the distinction in taxing authority of Virginia's cities and counties. Counties should possess the same authority as cities to levy taxes on tobacco products, lodging, meals and admissions. The Tax Commission recommended the elimination of the distinction in taxing authority. (To be presented by Salem City Mayor Sonny Tarpley) The General Assembly should not limit or restrict existing local revenue sources. (To be presented by Salem City NTayor Sonny Tarpley) Funding for Virginia's Regional Competitiveness Program (RCP) was eliminated in 2002. The General Assembly needs to fund this important program. The Commonwealth established the RCP in 1996 and since that time more than 227 regional projects throughout Virginia have been supported by RCP funds. Each dollar of RCP funds has been leveraged with 19 dollars of non- state funds. In the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region, RCP funds have been used to support regional industrial parks, workforce development/education, tourism and infrastructure development. (To be presented by Covington City Mayor Temple Kessinger) The Commonwealth needs to move aggressively to reform its tax system. There have been two study commissions established to examine the problem of funding state and local governments and as yet, there has been no major movement toward tax reform. Recently, a new Tax Code Study Commission was established. The General Assembly needs to encourage this Commission to complete its work in a timely fashion and the General Assembly should act on the Commission's recommendations to ensure Virginia's tax system is fair and aligns service delivery responsibilities with revenue sources at the state and local level. (To be presented by Franklin County Board Chairman Wayne Angel) LOCAL AUTHORITY: The General Assembly should not pass legislation that takes away local government authority over land use issues. For example, legislation may be considered in an upcoming session that will require manufactured housing to be permitted "by right" in all residential zoning districts. Such legislation would directly affect the power of local councils and boards to control land use in their communities. (To be presented by a Board member from Alleghany County) TRANSPORTATION: The General Assembly should require VDOT to find a funding mechanism that will expedite the widening/improvements to Interstate 81. I-81 is the economic lifeblood of Western Virginia. Improvements to this highway will enhance safety and promote the economy of this region. The communities in western Virginia cannot wait 40-50 years for the widening of I-81 to take place. (To be presented by Botetourt County Chairman Steve Clinton) The General Assembly should fund the Smart Road outside of the VDOT funds allocated to the Salem Transportation District. Approximately 35% of the funds allocated to the Salem District are going to pay for the Smart Road. This highway facility represents an economic benefit for the entire Commonwealth and the nation, and as such, the funds for the Smart Road should not come solely from this region's highway allocation. (To be presented by Botetourt County Chairman Steve Clinton) The Commonwealth should plan for the development of rail freight along I-81 to complement the widening of the interstate with the purpose of moving a large volume of the long-distance freight traffic from trucks to freight trains on dual track, high-speed rails parallel to I-81. (To be presented by City of Roanoke Mayor Ralph Smith) The General Assembly should fund implementation of passenger rail service in the Roanoke to Bristol corridor. Rail service will provide a good multi-modal addition to the highways and airports currently serving the region. (To be presented by City of Roanoke Mayor Ralph Smith) Mayor Don Davis will provide the "wrap-up" for the legislative presentation. 2 The Joint Rules Committee of the General Assembly adopted its calendar for the balance of 2003 and for the 2004 General Assembly Session. These dates should be kept in mind when plaruling activities dealing with our legislators and the session. Monday, All requests for drafts of legislation which a legislator Dec. 8, 2003 anticipates pre-filing has to be submitted to Legislative Services by 5:00 .m. Friday, 9:30 am The Governor will address the money corrunittees at 9:30 Dec. 17, 2003 ain to present his budgets. This will include the "Caboose Budget" for the balance of FY 04 and the new 04-06 Biennial Budget. Friday, All drafts of legislation to be pre-filed will be returned for Jan. 2, 2004 requesting legislator's review by midnight. Friday, -All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections of Jan. 9, 2004 legislation creating or continuing a study to Legislative Services by 5 p.m.; -All requests for redrafts and corrections for legislation to be pre-filed to Legislative Services by Spm. Tuesday, Legislators can get all legislation drafted for pre-filing by Jan. 13, 2004 Noon. All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections for first-day introduction bills (Charter changes, for example) to Legislative Services by 5 m. Wednesday, -Pre-filing ends at 10 a.m.! Jan. 14, 2004 -General Assembly convenes at noon. -Joint Assembly to hear State of the Commonwealth Address from the Governor (usually convenes at 6pm with the address at 7 .m.) Friday, All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections must be Jan. 16, 2004 received U Le islative Services by 5 .m. Tuesday, Jan. Special order for the selection of elections for seats or 20, 2004 offices held by incumbent judges, and other gubernatorial and circuit court a ointees. Friday, All bills and joint resolutions filed with the clerk by 5 Jan. 23, 2004 m. Saturday, For all you historians-The General Assembly will Feb. 7, 2004 convene in the reconstructed Capitol in Williamsburg-a very special event for the legislators held every 4 years. ~ Thursday, ~ VACO/VML .Legislative Day ~ The Joint Rules Committee of the General Assembly adopted its calendar for the balance of 2003 and for the 2004 General Assembly Session. These dates should be kept in mind when plamling activities dealing with our legislators and the session. Monday, All requests for drafts of legislation which a legislator Dec. 8, 2003 anticipates pre-filing has to be submitted to Legislative Services by 5:00 .m. Friday, 9:30 am The Governor will address the money committees at 9:30 Dec. 17, 2003 ain to present his budgets. This will include the "Caboose Budget" for the balance of FY 04 and the new 04-06 Biennial Budget. Friday, All drafts of legislation to be pre-filed will be returned for Jan. 2, 2004 requesting legislator's review by midnight. Friday, -All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections of Jan. 9, 2004 legislation creating or continuing a study to Legislative Services by 5 p.in.; -All requests for redrafts and corrections for legislation to be re-filed to Legislative Services by Spm. Tuesday, Legislators can get all legislation drafted for pre-filing by Jan. 13, 2004 Noon. All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections for first-day introduction bills (Charter changes, for example) to Legislative Services by 5 m. Wednesday, -Pre-filing ends at 10 a.m.! Jan. 14, 2004 -General Assembly convenes at noon. -Joint Assembly to hear State of the Cormnonwealth Address from the Governor (usually convenes at 6pin with the address at 7 .in.) Friday, All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections must be ..Ian. 16, 2004 received by Le islative Services by S .m. Tuesday, Jan. Special order for the selection of elections for seats or 20, 2004 offices held by incumbent judges, and other gubernatorial and circuit court a ointees. Friday, All bills and joint resolutions filed with the clerk by 5 Jan. 23, 2004 in. Saturday, For all you historians-The General Assembly will Feb. 7, 2004 convene in the reconstructed Capitol in Williamsburg-a very s ecial event for the legislators held every 4 years. Thursday, VACO/VML Legislative Day Feb. 12, 2004 Tuesday, CROSSOVER-Each House to finish its own legislation Feb. 17, 2004 except for appropriations (budget), debt, revenue, and VR bills- by "midnight" (actually that means the end of the legislative day-whenever the session is ad~ ourned.). Friday, Houses of introduction to complete work on appropriation, Feb. 20, 2004 Debt, revenue, and VRS bills. Sunday, THE MONEY DAY-Appropriation (Budget) bills are Feb. 22, 2004 report by the House Coininittee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance! Thursday, Houses of Introduction to complete work on the Budgets. Feb. 26, 2004 Tuesday, Conunittees responsible for revenue bills of the other hous Mar. 2, 2004 to finish work by midnight! Wednesday, Last day for each house to act on the Budget Bill(s) and Mar. 3, 2004 revenue bills of the other house and appoint conferees by midnight. (Since each house just rejects the work of the other this is normally done in inid afternoon rarely do they have night sessions for this work.) Saturday, First Conference on revenue bills to finish by midnight. Mar. 6, 2004 Monday, Last day for any committee action on legislation. Mar. 8, 2004 Tuesday, First Conference on the Budget Bill(s) to finish by Mar. 9, 2004 MIDNIGHT! (This is the "firm date" which is rarely met-so count on another resolution being passed the next day extending the deadline! Thursday, Conference report on the Budget Bill(s) will be available b Mar. 11, 2004 Noon-well maybe-also the last day to put bills in conference! Friday, Only Conference reports and certain joint resolutions may Mar. 12, 2004 be considered. Saturday, Adjournment-Sine Die Mar. 13, 2004 Wednesday, RECONVENED SESSION Apr. 21, 2004 Thursday, LAST DAY FOR COMMITTEES TO ACT ON Dec. 9, 2004 CONTINUED LEGISLATION (Carryover Bills). ~ Brenda. Holton - ATTENDANCE.doc _ Page 1 ATTENDANCE Leadership Summit Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 Salem Civic Center YES - General Assembly: Ward Armstrong, John Edwards, William Fralin, Brandon Bell NO - General Assembly: Jim Shuler, Lacey Putney, Roscoe Reynolds, Onzlee Ware Roanoke County ,;Joe McNamara Richard Flora J.ee=`~trtch" Church Mike Wray %Elmer Hodge /$renda olton ~n I Franklin County /1~Vayne Angell ,iRichard Huff, II City of Covington /~emple L. Kessinger, Jr., Mayor John Holpe Montgomery County Annette Perkins Town of Vinton /Don Davis, Mayor B. Clayton Goodman, III Allegheny County Sam Wilhelm ;,rl'ammy Stephenson Botetourt County ,~teve Clinton Wendy Wingo ,iJerry Burgess City of Roanoke ./Ralph K. Smith, Mayor W. D. "Bill" Bestpitch ;iAlfred Dowe Linda Wyatt Vice Mayor Nelson Harris Darlene Burcham ,/Sheila Hartman City of Salem rJerry Pace Howard Packett John Givens Alex M. Brown ~Ivlayor Sonny Tarpley Forest Jones Jay Taliaferro Melinda Payne Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission Wayne Strickland Town of Rocky Mount Mayor Mark Newbill Town of Clifton Forge Tom Harris Carl Brinkley Don Carter Ed Mansfield Other B.J. Robertson (aide to Delegate-Elect Fralin) Roanoke alley. RegYonal Commission ao~ The Regional Commission 313 Luck Avenue, SW / PO Box 2569 / Roanoke, Virginia 24010 TEL: 540.343.4417 /FAX: 540.343.4416 / www.rvarc.org / rvarc@rvarc.org October 16, 2003 MEMORANDUM T0: Local Elected Officials Managers & Administrators FROM: Wayne G. Strickland, Executive Director psi SUBJ: Regional Leadership Summit with General Assembly Representatives General Assembly members representing our region have been invited to the next Regional Leadership Summit to discuss key legislative issues. (See attached /egis/ative agenda.) The luncheon meeting with General Assembly members and local elected officials will be held Friday, November 14 at 12 noon at the Salem Civic Center, Parlor C (1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA). To-date, the following candidates have responded they will be in attendance (pending election results): Onzlee Ware, Mark Newbill, Jim Shuler, John Edwards, Ward Armstrong, and Dr. Mark Emick. We will be contacting candidates who have not responded to remind them about the meeting. I hope you will make every effort to attend the luncheon meeting on Novemberl4. Please RSVP by Monday, November 10 (RSVP attached). Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your support. Attachments Serving Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke counties, the cities of Covington, Roanoke and Salem, and the towns of Clifton Forge and Vinton •. • The Regional Commission _ 313 Luck Avenue, SW / PO Box 2569 / Roanoke, Virginia 24010 os~~ TEL: 540.343.4417 /FAX: 540.343.4416 / www.rvarc.org / rvarc@rvarc.org COIIIITIlSS10I7 ATTENDANCE SHEET REGIONAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Friday, November 14, 2003 at noon Salem Civic Center, Parlor C (2001 Bou/evard, 5a/em, VA) Yes, I will attend the Summit on November 14 No, I am unable to attend the Summit on November 14 Name Representing PLEASE RETURN BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10: Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission P.O. Box 2569, Roanoke, VA 24010 Phone: 343-4417 Fax: 343-4416 Email: jpace@rvarc.org THANK YOU. Serving Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke counties, the cities of Covington, Roanoke and Salem, and the towns of Clifton Forge and Vinton 2004 REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS AND ROANOKE VALLEY TO THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY EDUCATION: General Assembly should fully fund the Standards of Quality. The Commonwealth has an obligation to fund the Standards of Quality on the basis of realistic costs -- reflecting actual education practices to include capital, operating and maintenance costs, (To be presented by Roanoke County Chairman Joe McNamara) TAXING AND FUNDING: The General Assembly should eliminate the distinction in taxing authority of Virginia's cities and counties. Counties should possess the same authority as cities to levy taxes on tobacco products, lodging, meals and admissions. The Tax Commission recommended the elimination of the distinction in taxing authority. (To be presented by Salem City Mayor Sonny Tarpley) The General Assembly should not limit or restrict existing local revenue sources. (To be presented by Salem City Mayor Sonny Tarpley) Funding for Virginia's Regional Competitiveness Program (RCP) was eliminated in-2002. The General Assembly needs to fund this important program. The Commonwealth established the RCP in 1996 and since that time more than 227 regional projects throughout Virginia have been supported by RCP funds. Each dollar of RCP funds has been leveraged with 19 dollars of non- state fiulds. In the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region, RCP funds have been used to support regional i..dustrial parks, workforce developme.:~education, tourism aid infrastructure development. (To be presented by Covington City Mayor Temple Kessinger) The Connnonwealth needs to move aggressively to reform its tax system. There have been two study commissions established to examine the problem of funding state and local goverrunents and as yet, there has been no major movement toward tax reform. Recently, a new Tax Code Study Commission was established. The General Assembly needs to encourage this Commission to complete its work in a timely fashion and the General Assembly should act on the Commission's recommendations to ensure Virginia's tax system is fair and aligns service delivery responsibilities with revenue sources at the state and local level. (To be presented by Franklin County Board Chairman Wayne Angell) -1- Roanoke Times Online Archives ~Qfil1 ~C'.. ~~~~E ~0~~~~~ ~~~~ This article is ©2003- the Times-World Corp. Clici: here to cr~ndi~ct a~3ather 3enreh (-~lelp with ye~~trchin ROANOKE-AREA LEADERS URGE TAX REFORM Date: November 15, 2003 Section: VIRGINIA Page: B 1 By Todd Jackson todd Jackson@roanoke.com 981-3253 In a harbinger of the upcoming General Assembly session, Roanoke-area leaders urged Southwest Virginia state legislators to reform the state's tax structure and to have the guts to raise taxes if it's the only way to give localities the funding they need. They also told legislators Friday that they need to find the money to widen Interstate 81 as soon as possible. The groups met in Salem for a quarterly "summit" meeting of local leaders. "We know that'raising taxes' are dirty words, but if that's what it takes to get things done, then let's do it," Vinton Mayor Don Davis said. The legislators and legislators-elect attending the meeting included: Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke; Sen.-elect Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County; Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem; Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Henry County; and Del.-elect William Fralin, R-Roanoke. All the legislators agreed that improving I-81 in Western Virginia must be a priority of the regional delegation. They also agreed that an improved rail system must be along-term part of the local transportation initiative to take pressure off the interstate. They had differing opinions, however, on just how financially feasible it will be to improve rail when it will take billions of dollars just to widen the interstate. The legislators also had different takes on tax restructuring, which is one of the most pressing topics statewide. Gov. Mark Warner is scheduled to release his own reform plan later this month. Many supporters of restructuring say it can only happen if it's revenue neutral. Page 1 of 2 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=OFEE6F4COA45... 12/11 /2003 Roanoke Times Online Archives But some local leaders at Friday's meeting said real tax reform won't happen unless revenue neutrality is thrown out the window. Wayne Angell, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors chairman, said his county spends every bit of its real estate and personal property tax revenue on its schools, and still has to come up with an additional million dollars of local money to give to education. Angell, echoing the complaints of many local leaders, said it's time the state gave localities more flexibility to find additional and more equitable ways to generate revenue. Armstrong said he doesn't know if the the General Assembly has the wherewithal right now to actually pass meaningful tax reform. Armstrong said the state needs to do something, and he reeled off a list of cuts and budgetary needs that must be addressed. The room then broke into laughter when Armstrong, grabbing a line from a popular television commercial, quipped: "I do have some good news. I saved some money on my car insurance." The tax reform debate will take place in Richmond in January among state legislators who disagree about Virginia's finances. Friday, Edwards said the state is in the throes of its worst fiscal crisis since it started keeping budget records. Griffith, the House majority leader, said such talk is a "myth." He added that the state does have challenges, but is not in the dire straits that some claim. All content herein is ©1997 Times-World Corp. and may not be republished without permission. The Roanoke Times Online is a service of The Roanoke Times. Page 2 of 2 The Roanoke Times archives are stored on a SAVE (tm) newspaper library system from MediaStream, Inc., aKnight-Ridder Inc. company. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=OFEE6F4COA45... 12/ 11 /2003