Williamsburg Notebook: City Council Talks Budget Saturday

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, January 20, 2012

Budget talks are dominating municipal calendars these days, and Williamsburg is no exception. The city will have its budget retreat early on Saturday morning, where the leaders will discuss how to handle increased expenditures. Also, the EDA is still seeking citizen input for one more week. Read on for more details.

City Council to Discuss Budget at Saturday Retreat

The City Council will meet for a budget retreat at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in the second-floor conference room at the Municipal Building.

City Manager Jack Tuttle told council at its Jan. 12 meeting that the city is running about $182,000 “to the good,” but at the same time last year, the city had $1.4 million in extra revenue. He said the city is already more than $500,000 over budget for expenditures, partially because of costs associated with Hurricane Irene; he said FEMA is expected to send a reimbursement check for those costs soon.

The budget will be strained by an increase in the city’s student population, by 88 students. The increase will cost the city an additional $750,000 according to its funding contract with James City County and the school division. The city will also have to increase its contributions to the Virginia Retirement System by $430,000. The city’s contribution to WJCC Schools might increase, as well, to help mitigate the division’s $7.5 million shortfall.

At the retreat, the city leaders will also receive a five-year financial forecast and updates on projects.

Share Input with EDA

The Williamsburg Economic Development Authority is seeking input before updating the city’s Economic Development Plan.

Citizens are asked to review a list of topic areas and contact the specified EDA member for each topic area here.

Sample topics include downtown vibrancy, redevelopment opportunities, economic diversification strategies and tourism marketing. Share input by Jan. 27 by contacting the designated EDA member for each topic.

Architectural Review Board Meets Next Week

The Architectural Review Board will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The meeting will be held in the third-floor conference room at the Municipal Building.