Minutes 04/29/1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3O3 April 29, 1987 tveraged 17.7% less; para-professionals, 21.6% less; and skilled trades, 14.7% less than any other community in Hampton Roads. I requested, and you granted, substantial pay raises and comprehensiw salary surveys that have virtually eliminated those in~quities. Because of our systematic effort to try to address this problem, lay we are no longer the training ground for the rest of Hampton Roads. A majority of our employees' salar±es are now as competltiv · s other salaries throughout the region. Fhe City Council has been supportxve of our employees, and i feel t~e a6option of this recommendatzon continues to support your error co reward our employees for a job well done. Retirees ~s you:~r~ aware, with more than half of our employees now in the Virginia Supplemental Retirement System (VSRS), I feel it would be unfair to increase the Portsmouth Retirement Systems any more than what is authorized by Virginia Supplemental Retirement System. VSR~ this year will be granting approximately a 2% ~ncrease for retirees and I recommend the same for those employees in the Portsmouth Retirement Systems. Summary It will be my effert to continue to work with you to reduce the real estate tax rate. I have always felt that it is the most regressive and unfair tax imposed by any locality. It aits those individuals on limited and fixed incomes the hardest, and sluggishly responds to the economic cycle. Yet, because there is no other alternative source authorized by the General Assembly, such as a local option income tax, we must continue to rely on this tax as our major singl~ source of revenue. I continue to be enthused about the future of the economy of the City of Portsmouth -- the Renaissance continues. Our financial bas~ ~s now strong, and from the budgets I have been able to submit to you, we have generated reserves that should be able to carry us through any unanticipated expenditures. The tax rate reduction pro~ posed will not jeopardize our financial soundness. In addition, I continue to pledge to you~that I will make every effort to ensure t~ the economic secu~itywe are experiencing today will not only contint but improve. Therefore, I recommend this budget for your adoption.' The following citizens spoke concerning the budget: Diane P. Griffin, No. 1 High Street, President of Help ~mergenc Responses, Inc. [HER), requested an annual grant amount of $100,000 funding for continued operation of the H~R Shelter. Dr. Don Combs, P. O. Box 1980, Norfolk, representing Eastern Virginia Medical &uthority, requested $4,300 additional funding for FY ~987-88. John H. Ryder, 5713 Shoreline Dr~we, representing Portsmouth Public School System, spoke on behal£ of R. Franklin Hawkins, Chair man of the School Board, and presented the following letter: "For various reasons mostly due to personal time constraints, will not be available to address you tonight in your public hear- xng on the budget; but, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight certain aspects of the School Board b~dget. The School Board requests for 198v-88 an increase of about $6.3 million or 10.9% has been requested to provide 36% of that of $64,229,500 represent~ over 1986-87. The city increase with 64% coming