What's On Tuesday's Ballot; A $30M Question for JCC Voters and More

Friday, October 29, 2010

As Historic Triangle residents head to the polls November 2, all will be voting on three state constitutional amendments and a U.S. First District Congressional representative, and James City County residents will see a few additional items on the ballot.

This year, for the first time since 2006, Virginia voters will be deciding whether to add three new amendments to the state constitution. Since then, more than 451,000 Virginians have been added to the rolls. See below for a description of each amendment.

Also, voters in the three localities will choose a new representative for the state’s First District seat in the U.S. House of representatives (see below for details). The candidates this year are Republican incumbent Rob Wittman, Democrat Krystal Ball and Independent Green candidate Gail Parker (click on the candidate's names to see their respective campaign websites). Read a previous WYDaily story on the debate between these candidates that was held in Williamsburg two weeks ago to get a sense for where each candidates stands on issues.

This year there is a change in polling locations in the city of Williamsburg: beginning with the current election, city residents who live in Precinct 2 (the Berkeley Precinct) will now cast their votes at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church located at 500 Jamestown Road. Previously these residents voted at Williamsburg Christian Church on John Tyler Lane, but the polling place was moved in 2010 to provide more space in addition to better access for individuals with disabilities and special needs.

Residents in Precinct 1 (the Stryker Precinct) will continue to vote at the Williamsburg Community Building located at 401 North Boundary Street.

James City County residents will also be voting on a stormwater bond referendum, which would allow the county to borrow up to $30 million to pay for critical stormwater projects (see information below).

Residents in the Berkeley District in James City County will be voting on whether to allow Jim Kelly to continue his position on the WJCC School Board. He took the place of Mary Ann Maimone when she left in the middle of her term. This vote will allow him to continue Maimone’s original term, which ends December 31, 2011. Kelly is running unopposed. Read a previous story on Kelly here.

To find more information about local elections and polling places or to see a sample ballot, visit the website of the Williamsburg, James City County or York County registrar.

State amendment questions

The first ballot question will read: “Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation that will permit localities to establish their own income or financial worth limitations for purposes of granting property tax relief for homeowners not less than 65 years of age or permanently and totally disabled?”

According to current law, the General Assembly can give full or partial real estate exemptions to people 65 or older or to people who are permanently and totally disabled. The exemption is only for owner-occupied property, and is currently only available to those who bear an “extraordinary tax burden” in relation to their income and financial worth.

The proposed amendment would remove the requirement that such exemptions apply only to those who bear an “extraordinary tax burden” and it would give the General Assembly to let localities determine their own financial and worth limitations for the groups described above (seniors and the disabled).

The second question will read: “Shall the Constitution be amended to require the General Assembly to provide a real property tax exemption for the principal residence of a veteran, or his or her surviving spouse, if the veteran has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability?”

Currently, the state Constitution doesn’t grant exemptions for veterans. The proposed amendment would require the General Assembly to pass a law exempting veterans with “a one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability” from paying local taxes on an owner-occupied residence.

The third ballot question will read: “Shall Section 8 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to increase the permissible size of the Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the "rainy day fund") from 10 percent to 15 percent of the Commonwealth's average annual tax revenues derived from income and retail sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years?”

Currently, the Revenue Stabilization Fund acts as a buffer to offset revenue shortfalls. The fund is now limited to 10 percent of the state’s annual average tax revenues from income and sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years. This amendment would increase that amount to 15 percent.

James City County stormwater bond referendum

On Election Day, residents will vote on whether the county will be able to issue up to $30 million in general obligation bonds to pay for a backlog of critical stormwater projects. Supervisors have discussed the possibility of raising real estate taxes by up to two cents per $100 of value in order to cover the debt, which would be about $60 a year for a home values at $300,000, according to the county’s Assistant Manager of Financial Services Sue Mellen.

The question will read: “Shall James City County, Virginia, contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in a principal amount not to exceed $30,000,000 pursuant to the Public Finance Act of 1991, as amended, for the purpose of financing a portion of the cost of stormwater management projects?”

The four areas the planned stormwater projects fall under include stream repair and restoration, repair of aging infrastructure, creation of new water quality treatment facilities, and flood mitigation.

If the referendum doesn’t pass, supervisors will need to decide how to pay for the projects, perhaps through assessing a fee, finding new revenue, reallocating revenue from somewhere else in the budget, borrowing money at a higher rate, looking for grants, not approving some projects or a combination of these possibilities.

If the referendum does pass, the county will not spend the full amount right away nor are they obligated to use the full $30 million. Supervisors will need to approve the stormwater division’s spending plans and they have approximately 10 years to borrow the funds.

For more information on the stormwater bond referendum, visit the county’s website, which has links to videos that explain the process and why the money is needed, as well as other related information.