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May 12, 2020 Adding the proposed 1% increase in meal tax would be a crushing blow to Portsmouth's restaurant community. Before 2015 restaurants were growing and attracting diners from all over Hampton Roads. Tunnel toll collection and subsequent yearly increases have been a major blow to Portsmouth restaurant owners. Adding 1% to the meal tax might be the cause of total destruction of what's left of our meager cadre of restaurants. Aside from the certain business failures of restaurants and other service businesses due to the COVID19 horror show adding a 1% increase to the meal tax will most assuredly affect the decision of folks wanting to dine out or order out. I implore you to move wisely and cautiously and consider the real costs to Portsmouth's economy with such a punitive move. The smarter move would be to take a page from Virginia Beach's playbook and maybe reduce Portsmouth's meal tax or possibly get rid of the meal tax completely and collect money from the federal government who pays nothing for the Portsmouth real estate it occupies. Why must we give a pass to Churches on income taxes and exempt Churches from property taxes also? Everyone is talking about Tax Reform. It's time to shake up conventional wisdom and perhaps discuss what is truly fair on the issue of taxation! Charles Greenhood 11) Voicemail (Added 5/12/20) "Hello, This official in the gray, on the Executive Director for the Virginia License Visual Association. My number is (757) 477-0960. Oh, I saw that you are contemplating increasing your meals tax. And to even think about something like that at this time when everyone is closed and no one is having money coming in divide to lose their businesses and go bankrupt employees are laid off Fairfax County. They have a lot of sounds. They didn't. They did away with their proposed mission tags on the other things I had done under their budget because of the hardship on the resident. You just can't possibly think about a meal's tax. When everyone is closed and trying to stay alive and keep their businesses without going bankrupt and losing everything and never opening again, I do hope you will take this off your agenda and your budget. Thank you." Meal Tax/Stormwater Fee: 1) What is your explanation for raising meal and stormwater/sewer taxes in the middle of a health pandemic and economic crisis? What justification do you have for this? It seems like a tax hike in these times is unfathomable and completely avoidable. I urge you to vote against this plan if you care at all about your constituents. Marie Albiges 34 Foxgrape Road Meal Tax/Utility Fees: 1) Due to the continued economic impact of the pandemic, I believe as a concerned Portsmouth citizen, that any meal tax and utility/services fee raises need to be frozen until next year, after the ramifications of the shutdown are better known. Thank you Council Glover for suggesting a delay. Catherine Barth 3711 Burr Lane Portsmouth, VA 23703 2) Voicemail "Jealous Ayers:7, 5, 7, 4 oh 8, oh 7 1 4I am calling about the Portsmouth hikes. The meal tax and then the water around this, can really be taken a toll on the restaurants and also on the senior citizens. Am definitely against it, pray that you will reject it."