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April 22, 1980
<br />
<br />At a regular meeting of the City Council held on April 22, 1980, there were present:
<br />
<br />Richard J. Davis, Jack P. Barnes, Ben A. Beamer, Sr., E. iSaunders Early, Jr.,
<br />J. Robert Gray, James W. Holley, III, Edward L. Oast, Jr., Robert T. Williams,
<br />City Manager, Steven Lieberman, City Attorney.
<br />
<br /> In accordance with the resolution adopted on April 22, 1980, the meeting was held in the
<br />T. A. Willett Auditorium, Woodrow Wilson High School, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
<br />
<br /> Dr. Samuel A. Harvey, Jr., Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, opened the meeting with
<br />prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
<br />
<br />Mayor Davis welcomed all visitors in attendance.
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Gray and seconded by Mr. Barnes, minutes of the called meeting of April 7,
<br />1980, minutes of the Public Hearing of April 7, 1980; minutes of the called meeting of April
<br />8, 1980 and minutes of the regular meeting of April 8, 1980, to be approved as received, and
<br />was adopted by unanimous vote.
<br />
<br /> 80-140 Public Hearing on the City Operating Budget, General Revenue Sharing Budget,
<br />and Tax Rate Hearing for the FY ending June 30, 1981, was held:
<br />
<br /> Robert W. Wentz, Jr., ~00 Crawford Street, representing the Eastern Virginia Medical
<br />Authority (representative for City Council), spoke to concur in the recommendation of the
<br />City Manager on amount budgeted for the Eastern Virginia Medical Authority.
<br />
<br /> Ms. Sarah Fridge, 4221 Summerset Drive, President of Mental Health Association of
<br />Portsmouth, spoke in support of the City Manager's recommendation and requested that the
<br />MH/MR Section of the budget to be postponed.
<br />
<br />Mrs. Gloria Webb, Chairman, School Board, presented the following statement:
<br />
<br /> "I am appearing before you tonight on behalf of the School Board. ~
<br />My remarks will be made in that capacity only and not as a candidate for City Council.
<br />
<br /> As the School Board studied and analysed the 1980-81 budget request, we are acutely aware
<br />of the financial limita%ions of our City. Financial limitations resulting from a limited tax
<br />base, financial limitations resulting from underfunded State and Federal mandates, and finan-
<br />cial limitations resulting from the State's continuing to shift its fiscal burden for public
<br />education to the localities.
<br />
<br /> As we prepared our request, we did not forget these financial problems. Neither did we
<br />forget the needs of our boys and girls who attend the Portsmouth Public Schools. The budget
<br />request that~ submitted to you contained funds sufficient to provide the type of instruction~
<br />services that we believe are due our children.
<br />
<br /> As a board member, I was delighted three years ago when Mayor Davis establiBhed the Task
<br />Force to Study Fringe Benefits for School Board and City employees. And, as Chairman last
<br />year, I was pleased when the board took its initial steps toward parity by assuming the cost
<br />of VSRS and a larger portion of the hospitalization costs. These initial steps were subse-
<br />qnently funded by Council. For this we were grateful.
<br />
<br /> In ~ecember, the Board moved nearer to achieving parity for i~s employees by developing
<br />a Pay and Classification Plan like the City's. This Plan was implemented on April 1, 1980.
<br />
<br /> The School Board ~s proud of these achievements which could not have been accomplished
<br />without your cooperation in the planning, the development and the funding of the Plan. We
<br />adopted this Plan with the belief that it would simplify the process of budgets preparation
<br />and vastly reduce the annual dialogue relating to parity.
<br />
<br /> Included in the School Board's 1980-81 budget request are sufficient funds to provide
<br />school employees with a five percent general increase and a five percent in-grade progression
<br />on their anniversary date, for a total of ten percent. Since the Board submitted to you its
<br />budget request, we have learned that, included in the budget before you tonight, are sufficien
<br />funds to provide a five percent general increase, a five percent in-grad~progression, and a
<br />2~ percent midyear increase for City employees. This represents a total rate increase of
<br />12~ percent for 1980-81.
<br />
<br /> Also included in the City's
<br />budget be reduced by $2,000,000.
<br />presents a 48 percent reduction
<br />
<br /> operating budget is a recommendation that the School Board
<br /> Excluding the ~State Flow Through Funds for VSRS, this re-
<br />in the Board's requested increase for 1980-81.
<br />
<br /> Should the Council sustain this recommended cut, and should t~e BoRrd use all of %he re-
<br />¢o. mmended increase for emplo?ees' s~taries~ the Board w~uld~need $2,000,000 more to fund the
<br />recommended five percent general ~ncrease and the five percent in-grade progression on the
<br />anniversary date.
<br />
<br /> To achieve parity ~ith the recommended raises
<br />increase its rate of raise from ten to 12½ percent,
<br />dollars.
<br />
<br />for City employees, the School Board must
<br />requiring approximately 350,000 more
<br />
<br /> Gentlemen, we the Council and the School Board are in a dilemma. To achieve parity
<br />in salaries alone the School Board will nee~--5~-0-,000 more dollars than the total school budget
<br />increase recommended by the City Manager.
<br />
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