New Fees, Shorter Pool Hours and Less Money to Tourism

By Desiree Parker Friday, March 19, 2010

Williamsburg’s City Manager released his proposed budget today, which includes substantial cuts in tourism funding, reduction in city pool hours, and new pool and park fees to help make up for a projected shortfall of roughly $1 million.

“As the recession continues, the effect on government revenues at all levels deepens,” City Manager Jack Tuttle writes in his budget message. “Over the last 18 months the city has been in serious budget reduction mode” but remains focused on council-set priorities.

Tuttle says he doesn’t think raising taxes or dipping into the city’s substantial reserves is the way to go for fiscal year 2011. Though the current version of the state budget would have a less severe impact on the city, Tuttle is keeping the budget in line with more conservative estimates of state help, estimating a 2.7 percent cut.

Given those parameters, the 3.2 percent reduction in spending over the current fiscal year will mean some cuts from nearly every spending category.

Some new fees and service reductions Tuttle recommends this year include adding a $2 fee for each car entering Waller Mill Park. The park is very popular and the fee would generate $120,000, but this will still keep the park operating at a loss. Automated gates will be installed, likely by July 1.

Quarterpath Pool, which has seen low usage rates, according to Tuttle, will see a reduction in hours and higher fees. The hours will be noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Admission fees will go up to $3 for kids and $4 for adults, also beginning July 1.

In part to help offset the projected 8.6 percent drop in room tax for the upcoming year, Tuttle suggests reducing tourism funding to Colonial Williamsburg and the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance by $300,000, leaving the two organizations with $1.9 million.

This year, Tuttle has also changed the ratio between the two when it comes to divvying up the funds, leaving the Alliance with less of the pie: $627,000, down almost 29 percent from FY 10. Colonial Williamsburg will get $1.3 million, only 4 percent less than the previous year.
The reductions are due to “sharp declines in room and meal tax dollars and the inability to make up the differences from other sources,” Tuttle says in the budget message. He defended the city’s high investment in CW, saying it is the biggest tourism driver for the city. “Unfortunately… neither county [James City or York] contributes any dollars to the Colonial Williamsburg Marketing campaign.”

Even with these reductions, Tuttle points out that the city is still giving CW and the Alliance 59 percent of its room revenues. Years ago, that number was 54 percent, but room revenues have plummeted in the past few years and the city hasn’t decreased the percentages back to that lower amount.

City staff positions were already reduced during the last round of budget cuts. Of 202 positions in FY 09, 17 positions were eliminated; for FY 11, three more will be eliminated, bringing the number down to 182. Of those three, two are slots currently filled and those staff members will be laid off.

City staff will also receive no pay increases this year.

See the budget online by clicking here. The council will hold two budget hearings March 22 and 23 in the municipal building’s third floor conference room, starting at 5 p.m. They’ll hear from the school system at the monthly work session April 5 at 4 p.m., and the public hearing about the budget will be at a council meeting April 8. May 13 is when the city is expected to adopt the budget.

More budget highlights
Water and sewer fees will see an increase again, by 5 percent (20 cents). This increase helps pay for the water contract with Newport News.

The Human Services Advisory Board recommended a reduction of about 20 percent from the current year, bringing the total for human services at just over $81,000. Programs that lose all funding in FY 11 include: the Senior Services Coalition, the Historic Triangle Substance Abuse Coalition; and Child and Family Connection. Hospice of Williamsburg loses half its current-year funding, and the Historic Triangle Senior center will lose almost 22 percent.

The Williamsburg Land Conservancy lost funding, from $9,500 in the current year to $5,000 (level with county funding).

The Arts Commission suggested about 5 percent in cuts to arts programs for FY 11, bringing the funding down to just over $124,000. Of that, the city would pay $57,000, and the county would pitch in the same, while the state arts commission would likely give $10,000 in grant money. Nearly all groups are getting slightly less, except for the Williamsburg Choral Guild, An Occasion for the Arts, WHRO, The Virginia Arts Festival, and a few others. The ARC of Williamsburg is also getting $3,000 from this budget category.

In the administration budget, the city will save just over 3 percent when the city attorney retires; they will reduce the two full-time positions to one full-time and one part-time slot.

Joint courthouse and judicial spending will increase by 5 percent and spending for the regional jail will increase by 9 percent, mainly due to cuts in state funding to those areas.

Fire department spending will go up by about 2 percent to help cover a few new positions, though the deputy chief slot will remain vacant. There will be $650,000 taken from the capital improvement budget to buy a new fire truck, too, in FY 11.

The Redevelopment and Housing Authority will eliminate one position, saving the city $35,000.

Information Technology will see its budget slashed by nearly 15 percent.

School spending will go up by one-tenth of one percent.