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32 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE CONCERN OF THE PORTSMOUTH CITY <br />COUNCIL AT THE FAILURE OF THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO <br />ADOPT LEGISLATION AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PORTS- <br />MOUTH TO PROVIDE FO~ THE CREATION OF A SPECIAL SERVICE <br />DISTRICT. <br /> <br /> ~'~HEREAS, the Downtown Portsmouth Association, an <br />organization of merchants and property owners~ petitioned <br />the Co~cil of the City of Portsmouth to seek a change in <br />its Charter which would provide for the creation of a Special <br />Servic~ District in the downtown business area of the City <br />to be created by the governing body~upon request of the <br />property owners Of the proposed district; and <br /> <br /> WHEP~AS, the General Assembly of Virginia has continually <br />ignored the request of local governments, including this <br />City, for alternate sources of revenue to insure a more equitable <br />disbursement of the burden of funding local government; and, <br />moreover, has removed control of certain revenue sourcesfrom <br />the discretion of the local governing body including recent <br />mandates which required the roll back of business and pro- <br />fessional license fees and high constable fees and placed <br />limitations on alternate sources of revenue; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the purpose of a Special Service Di~tri'ct is <br />to generate new local revenue on a voluntar~ basis for im- <br />provements to the proposed district such as parking, shOpping <br />malls, street repair, fire and police protection, and pro- <br />motion of business activities which would otherwise not be <br />affordable by the City and which would benefit the entire <br />City; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, <br />formerly requested the proposed Charter change by Resolution <br />adopted on December 8, 1982, and communicated to the Portsmouth <br />delegation to the General Assembly of Virginia; and <br /> <br /> Wh~EREAS, the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce endorsed <br />the concept of the Special Service District; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, other cities in the Con~onwealth of Virginia <br />have been granted such authority either by Charter or by <br />special legislation; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, Delegate L. Cleaves Manning sponsored the <br />necessary legislation designated as House Bill No. 20 in the <br />Virginia House of Delegates which was passed by that body by <br />a vote of 93 to 2; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, said legislation was amended by the Senate of <br />Virginia by removing the authority for the City to create <br />such Special Service District; and <br /> <br /> <br />