|
July 16, 2020
<br />
<br />The following comments were submitted by citizens for the July 16, 2020 Virtual City
<br />Council meeting:
<br />
<br />20-144:
<br />Voicemail
<br />"My name is Ron Evans4, 6, 5, 8, 2, 2, Agenda number: 20 dash 1. Now, I can't seethe
<br />reasoning we had, going from idea. Play it, going aging is because it only has to handicap
<br />spaces. Mean even though it's a big lot, is probably a long way from the door even at the
<br />handicap and also agenda number1, 80going from a large, please see voting for this
<br />much smaller. And I find it odd that both of these are predominantly white neighborhoods,
<br />as well as the one. I believe it's 178, I'm not sure. But, uh.I just don't see the benefit of it.
<br />If the narrators, and I would like to see if there's definitely, Yes. Beran notification,
<br />because I had a friend of mine that went to primary, and he didn't know anything about it,
<br />uh, the Saint Andrews, they didn't know anything about cost. You, a lot of people don't
<br />get to newspaper. That's all, I guess."
<br />
<br />20-170:
<br />At your July 16 virtual meeting, you intend to act on Item 20-170, "adoption of an
<br />ordination accepting CARES Act funding in the amount of $8,235,862 and appropriating
<br />said amount in FY 2021 Grants Fund for use by the City in accordance with the Act."
<br />Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne, in his letter of transmittal, cautions that the funds
<br />allocated to the commonwealth "may be used for qualifying expenses of state and local
<br />governments . . . that:
<br />1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with
<br />respect to the Coronavirus Disease . . . ;
<br />2. were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020
<br />(the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or \[local\] government; and
<br />3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on
<br />December 30, 2020."
<br />One of the shortcomings of the formula for sharing local revenues with the Portsmouth
<br />Public Schools council adopted earlier this year is that it made no provision for special
<br />revenue sharing opportunities of this nature. Consequently, the schools have no legal
<br />claim to make on the these particular funds. That does not mean, however, that you
<br />should act as though the school system has not already incurred eligible costs, and will
<br />not, prior to the end of December, incur more of the same. The ethical approach for
<br />council to take would be setting aside at least 30.23% -- the previously established
<br />sharing formulation -- of the Coronavirus Relief Funds received from the commonwealth
<br />to offset qualified school system expenditures incurred/to be incurred during the
<br />designated window. I ask, therefore, that council amend the ordinance to set aside $2.4
<br />million and change for potential school system use, and on adoption, direct the city
<br />manager to immediately communicate with the superintendent regarding the allocation in
<br />question, so that the school system can act accordingly.
<br />Please let me know if you need additional information.
<br />Yours truly,
<br />Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky, PO Box 50141, Portsmouth, VA 23703-0141, 757 967-7298
<br />
<br />20-180:
<br />I would like to express my concern with Item #20-180, proposal to move Voting Precinct
<br />33 from Pinecrest Baptist Church to Olive Branch Preschool Center. I have 2 concerns
<br />with this proposal, especially right before an election as important as November 3rd.
<br />Pinecrest Baptist has been the location of Precinct 33 for many years and I am concerned
<br />that some voters may not be aware of the change despite any efforts to publicize the
<br />change. My second concern is that I do not feel that Olive Branch Preschool Center has
<br />adequate parking. During the Presidential election in 2016, I worked the polls at Pinecrest
<br />Baptist for a candidate from mid afternoon until the polls closed. There were a number of
<br />times when there were far more cars in the Pinecrest Parking lot than the parking lot at
<br />Olive Branch Preschool Center could hold. Had that election been held at Olive Branch,
<br />it would have been necessary for some people to park down the street. Especially given
<br />the number of elderly residents in this precinct, I feel it is likely that some people would
<br />feel it would be too far to walk and would have elected not to vote. I do not feel that an
<br />election year where we are voting on virtually every office from President down to School
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
|