Minutes 10/23/2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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October 23, 2018 th FOR THE 116 CONGRESS. WHEREAS, the United States Congress deals with a broad range of issues that affect local government both directly and indirectly; and WHEREAS, the City of Portsmouth has certain concerns that deal with both Portsmouth specifically and local governments in general; and WHEREAS, these concerns need to be made known to Portsmouth's congressional delegation so that they may be transmitted for consideration by the Senate and the House of Representatives. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, that it endorses the positions listed on Exhibit A hereto for inclusion in the Legislative Package for consideration by the 116th Congress and directs that both this Resolution and the Legislative Package be forwarded to the City’s congressional representatives. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Manager and/or her designee(s) are hereby authorized and directed to provide necessary input and clarification during the th 116 Congress session and to carry out other activities as needed to assist in attaining the goals and objectives contained in the City’s 2019 Legislative Package.” Ayes: Clark, Lucas-Burke, Moody, Psimas, Smith, Rowe Nays: None 18 - 413 - Adoption of a resolution in support of amending the Virginia Code to permit casino gaming in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Background:  Annually since 2013 legislation has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly to permit casino gaming in Virginia.  By Resolution R-13-61 adopted on December 28, 2013 and again by Resolution R-17-04 adopted on January 10, 2017, City Council expressed its support for such legislation.  It is anticipated that legislation to legalize casino gambling will again be introduced in the 2019 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. Discussion:  The actions of the Commonwealth over the past several years have placed a heavy economic burden on Portsmouth and its residents, specifically the imposition of tolls on the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels and the conveyance of personal property and equipment associated with the Virginia International Gateway terminal from a taxable entity to the Commonwealth.  Portsmouth is rated by the Virginia Commission on Local Government as one of the most fiscally stressed cities in the commonwealth. Over 50% of the land mass that constitutes the city is non-taxable due to the presence of federal and state facilities as well as nonprofits. It is a built-out city with no ability to annex and limited land available for economic development.  The impact of tolls upon taxable sales in Portsmouth has been severe. It is estimated that taxable sales city-wide have been reduced by more than $2.2 million per quarter ($8.8 million annually) because of the tolls. The net effect in 2017 was a $488,000 reduction in tax collections by the City.  Portsmouth remains the single most vulnerable city in the region with respect to the tolls. Based upon the number of workers who must use the tunnels as they come and go from their jobs in Portsmouth or travel east of the Elizabeth River to work, the City is 6.3 times more exposed to toll effects than Virginia Beach and 3.8 times more than . Norfolk  A typical resident of Portsmouth also pays a larger share of his/her income in tolls than the typical resident of other regional cities, even when they use the tunnels the same number of times. Portsmouth’s economic ability to pay the tolls is not as high as that of