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299
<br />
<br />June il, 1974
<br />
<br /> The regular City Council meeting was held on June 11, 1974 at 7:30 p.m.~ in the
<br />auditorium of the Harry A. Hunt Junior High School; appropriate action was taken to change
<br />the place of the meeting. The following were present:
<br />
<br />Jack P. Barnes, E. Saunders Early, Jr., James W. Holley, Burrell R. Johnson,
<br />Isaac W. King, Raymond B. Smith, Robert W. Wentz, Jr., Phin Hutton, City Manager,
<br />D. R. Hagemeister, Acting City Attorney.
<br />
<br /> The Rev. Paul E. Thompson opened the meeting with prayer, followed by the Pledge of
<br />Allegiance to the Flag.
<br />
<br />Mayor Barnes welcomed all citizens in attendance.
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Smith and seconded by Mr. Johnson, the minutes to be approved as
<br />received, was adopted by the following vote:
<br />
<br />Ayes: Early, Holley, Johnson, King, Smith, Wentz, Barnes
<br />Nays: None
<br />
<br /> 74-228
<br />held -
<br />
<br />Public Hearing on 1974-75 Budget and proposed change in City taxes was
<br />
<br />The City Manager presented the following budget message:
<br />
<br /> "Submitted herewith are the recommended budgets for fiscal year 1974-75, which
<br />begins July 1. The operating budgets include the following Funds: General, City
<br />Garage, General Debt Service, Public Utilities, Law Library, Virginia Public Assistance,
<br />and Mental Health.
<br />
<br /> These recommendations are presented for your consideration at the Public Hearing
<br />June 11, at 7:30 p.m., in the Harry A. Hunt School Auditorium, and should be finally
<br />adopted, with any changes you may desire,, at your regularly scheduled meeting of June
<br />25.
<br />
<br />Highlights of the proposed budget are:
<br />
<br /> 1. The General Fund Budget totals $45,457,552 from all sources. It is
<br />based;on a recommended real estate tax rate of $2.60 per hundred dollars of assessed
<br />value With the assessment ratio of 60% already established by the City Assessor.
<br />
<br /> 2. At present, refuse collection charges do not support the cost of sanitation
<br />collection, incineration, and disposal. Therefore, it is recommended that the rate
<br />for residential collection be increased from $2.00 per month to $3.00. The commercial
<br />collection rate scale will be adjusted accordingly to bear its proportionate share of
<br />these costs.
<br />
<br /> 3. The Public Utility Fund is predicated on increasesin water charges, sewer
<br />maintenance charges and sewage treatment charges. These recommendations, if enacted,
<br />will prevent continuing deficit spending in the Dtility Department, maintaining a 7%
<br />rate of return on investment to the General Fnnd.
<br />
<br /> The proposed increase in retail water rates of 5~ per 1,000 gallons will increas~
<br />charges to Portsmouth customers from S0~ to SS~ per 1,000 gallons. It is recommended
<br />that ~ewer maintenance charges be increased from 17~ to 27~ per 1,O0O gallons, and sewage
<br />treatment charges from 27¢ to 40~ per 1,000 gallons at a constant rate regardless of
<br />volume. The rate for water sales to the City of Chesapeake is anticiated to be changed
<br />from ~0¢ to S0~ per 1,000 gallons December 1, 1974. The net result will be to raise
<br />the m~dian~n~li~ibii1 (12,000 gallons) in Portsmouth by approximately $3.44 per month,
<br />giving us the second lowest rate in %he 4-City area.
<br />
<br /> '4. An appropriation of a lump sum of $20,765,063 is recommended for education
<br />and; scholarships. The decision on use of these funds is by law the responsibility of
<br />the SchOol BOard. The Superintendent of Schools has indicated that this amount is
<br />suffiei~c~or th~ School Board to imPlement an average salary adjustment of 7.8%, if
<br />the.;School:Board chooses to do so.
<br />
<br /> 5. The General Fund salary and wage categories reflect four new permanent
<br />positions/'some of which were previously funded by the Emergency Employment Act, eighteen
<br />part-time summer recreation positions, and an average increase in salary for General
<br />Government~employees of 7.8%. This includes a 7.5% cost-of-living adjustment to the
<br />Classification and Pay Plan, and an annual one-step advancement (2.5%) for all employees
<br />not at, the top step of their salary range. Employees in the lower steps of salary ranges
<br />will receive about 10% increases, while those at the maximum pay step will receive only
<br />7.5%.
<br />
<br /> Although this does not keep municipal wages current with the rising consumer
<br />price~ndex (10.2% from May, 1975 to April, 1974), it is as much as I can, in good consci-
<br />ence, recommend with other immutable inflationary costs of government draining our financ-
<br />ial resources.
<br />
<br /> In a few cases, I have recommended increases greater than those percentages
<br />because of changed job requirements and supervisory responsibilities.
<br />
<br />
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