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December
<br />
<br />were present:
<br />
<br />At a regular meeting of the City Council, held December 28th, 19~3, there
<br />
<br />John P. Leigh, Leslie' T. Fox, George L. Grimes, Russell M. Hall,
<br />James N. Howard,Wo R. Hutchins, Frank D. Lawrence, 0. E. Warren,
<br />Pearls Jl ~ilson and Arthur S. Owens, City Manager.
<br />
<br />Minutes of regular meeting held '~December l~th, were read and approved.
<br />The following communicationefrom t~e 0ity Manager were read and
<br />
<br />"BE IT RESOLVED; by ~he Council of the City of Portsmouth,
<br />Virgi~ia,.that ~he "Legislat~ve program for 19~J4- League
<br />of Virginia Nunicinalitieg~ adoo~ed at theAnnual Conference
<br />~eptember 2~h, 19~3 ber, am~ the same is hereby endorsed by
<br />%his bo~y, with the provla~ ~ha~ under~3 the members of the
<br />Permanent Board of Assessors.or Assessors be appointed by
<br />~he Judge of the Gouts of Hustings~ so far as such legislation
<br />relates-tO ~he City of P0rtsmou%h.
<br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk be, and he is
<br />here~y direoted to forward a copy of thisResolution to Sena-
<br />tor Major M. Hillard and Delegates W.H.W. Oassell and C.H.Wal-
<br />~on, local members of the General Assembly of Virginia, and
<br />the Virginia League of Municipalities."
<br />
<br /> "Legislative Program for 1944 - League of'Virginia Municipalities,
<br /> Adopted at the Annual CQnference, SePtember 2yth, 19~3
<br />
<br /> 1. Licenee~ Taxes - If the prerogatives of loca~ government are to be
<br /> safeguarded and strengthened, additional tax sources should be made avail-
<br /> able to the localities rather t~n to encourage additional State subsi
<br /> dies, carrying with them in many instances additional ~tate control over
<br /> local government. The pro,em of giving some financial relief to the lo -
<br /> calities does not'Involve an increase in the over-all tax load, but
<br /> a re-allocation of tax sources between the ~ommonwealth and its political
<br /> subdivisions.
<br /> It is recommended that. merchants and other subjects of license taxa-
<br /> Sion indicated on pages 1~ and 15 of the Report of the Department of Tax-
<br /> ation for the fiscal year ended ~une 30, 19~2, no longer be taxed by the
<br /> Commonwealth in order that the cities and towns can increase and the
<br /> counties can impose local~license taxes on such subjects, such increases
<br /> or imposition not to exceed in any event the amount of the license tax
<br /> imposed by the Commonwealth. The to,aloof such ~taGe license taxes for
<br />the fiscal year enc~ng June 30th, 19~2, was near£y $3,000,000.
<br /> 2. S~hools~ The ~tate appropriation for the support of the public free
<br /> scnoozs should be increased to an amount approximating instructional
<br /> OO~%S.
<br />
<br /> 3. Permanent Boards of Assessors~ Legislation should be enacted Der -
<br /> misting, but not requiring, the establishment of permanent boards o~ as-
<br /> sessors by councilmanic appointment in cities. Such legislation should'
<br /> be permissive only and may be useful to certain cities i n equalizing
<br /> the local tax burden during the critical period which may follow defense
<br /> spending.
<br />
<br />4. Planning and Zoning.
<br />of the General Assembly,
<br />ers of municipalities in
<br />
<br />Bills should be drafted for the consideration
<br />which will clarify the planning and zoning pow-
<br />municipal and suburban areas.
<br />
<br />5. Violations of Liquor Laws. The cities and towns should be authorized
<br />to enact ordinances to prohibit violation of the liquor laws, including
<br />the collection of fines for such violations, any charter provisions of
<br />cities and towns to the contrary notwithstanding. The enactment of such
<br />a law would, it is believed, lead to better enforeemem~ ef this law.
<br />
<br />6. Airport Zoning. An airport zoning law should be enacted to provide
<br />for adequate zoning regulations for airports located inside or outside
<br />the corpOrate limits of'cities and towns with authority to restrict
<br />building~ which will interfere with the operation o f such airoor~s,.
<br />and to permit the extension of the police power of the municipalities
<br />to such airports.
<br />
<br />y. Amendment of State Retirement Act, The State Retirement Act in ac-
<br />cordance with action successfully taken recently in several other states
<br />should be amended to permit the cities, towns and counties to~pUrchase
<br />their way into the State system. Snch legislation should bepermiseive
<br />only and its passage need not place any additional financial b~rden
<br />whatever on the Oommonwealth but at the same time would avoid needless
<br />overlapping a~d duplication of administration in the setting un of a~
<br />entirely separate s~ate wide retirement system for the local politica±
<br />subdivisions. Such a plan moreover would assure the actuarial soundness
<br />of local pensions which can hardly be guaranteed in every instance if _
<br />each Individmal local political ~subdivision establishes its own retire
<br />mens system."
<br />
<br />Motion o f Mr. Wilson to concur in said resolution, was adopted.
<br />
<br />
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