City's Legislative Agenda Includes Funds for Tourism, Transportation

By Amber Lester Kennedy Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Williamsburg City Council approved its legislative wish list on Thursday, two days after learning who will represent the city’s interests in the General Assembly next year.

For the first time in years, the city will not be represented by Sen. Tommy Norment or Del. Bill Barlow. When the city leaders meet to talk about their legislative agenda, they’ll be sitting down with the recently re-elected Senator John Miller, D-1st, and new Delegate Mike Watson, R-93rd.

In the final draft of the 2012 Legislative Priorities, the city lists the areas most in need of state funding: education, transportation, public safety, the regional jail, human services and mandated officials (state support for constitutional officers).

The city will also ask the legislators to lobby for the elimination of a requirement that forces local governments to either accept reduced funding or return money to the state, in order to help balance the budget. For Williamsburg, that amounts to $42,000 to be returned to the state in 2012.

The city opposes several proposals that have been previously introduced in the General Assembly that restrict local control of revenues. The opposed proposals include manipulation of real estate assessments to reflect something other than market value; caps on tax rates; restrictions on City Council’s use of existing revenues; and the elimination of the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax. The city would support revenue-neutral reform of BPOL, however.

Tourism figures heavily into the city’s legislative requests. The city continues to ask the General Assembly to use a greater portion of revenue from tourism to promote Virginia as a destination; at a work session, Councilman Doug Pons added he’d like to see more collaborative programming come out of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. The city is also urging the General Assembly to require Internet travel reservation companies to collect and remit occupancy tax based on gross sales, rather than net sales. (Learn more about the issue here http://wydaily.com/local-news/4787-online-travel-companies-take-tax-fight-to-consumers-triangle-may-be-losing-millions.html.)

The city also lists several transportation issues they’d like to see addressed. Williamsburg requests the GA make the widening of Interstate 64 from Richmond to Newport News a priority. It also supports dedicating some revenue source for the Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital Fund to provide continued passenger rail from Newport News to the Northeast Corridor. The city also requests the GA allow tolling of interstate highways and major river crossings, and to enact gas tax increases or other user fees to pay for transportation projects.

Williamsburg would like to see the State Code amended to repeal the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority’s power to compete with local Economic Development Authorities in the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to nonprofits.

For those serving in the line of duty, the city supports the return of funding for the Line of Duty public safety insurance benefit program to the state.

The General Assembly has considered adopting a resolution that would lead to a change of the Virginia Constitution regarding the use of eminent domain. The city maintains the existing state law is adequate to protect private property, while still allowing localities to use eminent domain when it benefits the entire community.

The city also opposes any changes to the Freedom of Information Act of the Code of Virginia, which requires mandatory disclosure of full criminal record.

Finally, Williamsburg included support for the College of William and Mary’s priorities, which include a request to rebuild operational state support and financial aid; provide funds for faculty and staff raises; approve funding for the final phase of the Integrated Science Center and the renovation of Tyler Hall.

City Manager Jack Tuttle said a joint meeting of council and its state representatives will be scheduled soon.