HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-12-18
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors/Legislators Meeting
December 18, 2003
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Agenda
I. Introductions
II. Overview - Thomas Jefferson Planning District
Legislative Program (5 minutes)
David Blount
III. Albemarle County's Legislative Priorities (30 min)
Albemarle County Board Members-
A. Growth Management Tools (10 min)
B. Funding Priorities (10 min)
C. Tax Reform (10 min)
IV. Legislator's PrioritieslBill Sponsorships
(30 min)
Legislators
V. Questions and Answers (15 min)
VI. Wrap up (5 min)
v
THOMAS JEFFERSON PLANNING DISTRICT
2004 Legislative Priorities
(Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson & Charfottesville City)
=:>STANDARDS OF QUALITY FUNDING
The state should fund its share of the realistic costs of meeting the Standards of Quality
(SOQ) and not eliminate existing education programs to do so.
More than $500 million in state dollars is needed to continue the current SOQ in the next biennium. Recent
budgets have transferred money from other non-SOQ programs, shifted costs to localities and depleted the Literary
Fund in order to maintain SOQ funding. Our localities greatly exceed the state's required local funding effort.
=>COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES ACT
We support full funding of the state pool and establishment of a cap on local
expenditures for serving a child through CSA.
Initial state C SA a ppropriations still fall sh ort, forcing the s tate to find its sh are 0 ffunding a nd localities to
request more state dollars. We believe the distinction between base and supplemental budgets should be eliminated.
~ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
State environmental quality programs should be funded and promoted through a
comprehensive approach and address air and water quality, solid waste management, land
conservation and land use policies.
We do not believe the state should impose a fee, tax or surcharge on water, sewer, solid waste or other local
government services to pay costs for state environmental programs.
=:>PUBLIC SAFETY
We encourage state cooperation, assistance and support for law enforcement,
emergency care and fire services responsibilities that rest primarily at the local level.
We encourage the state to make Compensation Board funding a top priority and to continue funding the HB 599
law enforcement program. We also support continued state funding of jails and drug courts.
=:>TAX STRUCTURE AND REFORM
Changes to the state tax code should not reduce local government revenues or taxing
authority, but broaden the revenue sources available to local governments instead.
Any tax code changes should enable the state to meet the financial obligations it h as made to localities. We
oppose cost-shifting that has occurred when the state fails to fund mandates or reduces or eliminates funding for
state-supported programs. The state should equalize the revenue-raising authority of counties with that of cities.
=:>LAND USE AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT
We oppose preemption or circumvention of existing local authority to regulate land use
and encourage the state to provide localities with additional tools to manage growth.
Local governments have been limited in their efforts to manage growth by various legislative actions that
reduced local authority to enforce the comprehensive plan or to regulate land use.
=:>TRANSPORTATION
We urge the state to address documented and future construction funding shortfalls and
to provide secondary road and street maintenance funding on top of construction dollars.
The state should direct its funding at all transportation modes and fund maintenance on top of construction.